UConn's Majok declares for NBA Draft - by Eurobasket NewsAter Majok, a freshman forward who UConn expects to be cleared to play at the conclusion of the first semester next season, will enter the NBA draft, the school announced Thursday. But because he will not hire an agent, Majok still could still elect return to UConn and play for the Huskies in 2009-10.

Ater Majok declared for the NBA draft Thursday, but don't expect his UConn career to be over before it even began.

Majok, a freshman forward who will be cleared to play following the first semester next season, will not hire an agent and, in a statement released by the school, said he expects to play for the Huskies in 2009-10.

'After meeting with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to enter the NBA draft,' Majok said. 'I feel it will help me to test the process and get feedback on my strengths and weaknesses. It will allow me to get a better idea of what areas in my game need improvement and make me a better player in the future. I will not be hiring an agent and I enter this process with the full intention of assessing my abilities and returning to Connecticut in 2009-10.'

Starting next season, underclassmen who declare for the draft must decide whether to pull out by May 8. The current deadline is 10 days before the draft June 15 this year. So Majok testing the waters this offseason enables a closer examination of his skills.

'In view of the upcoming rule changes for underclassmen, this is an opportunity for Ater to see where he currently fits into what I believe will be a future in professional basketball,' UConn coach Jim Calhoun said in the statement. 'I respect that Ater understands that this decision is about more than just him and that he has, and will continue to, involve his immediate family in this process as it goes forward.'

Calhoun was not available for further comment.

Majok, a 6-foot-10 forward from Sudan expected to be among UConn's best players next season, made a commitment to the school in April 2008 and enrolled for this spring semester after a long examination of his transcript by the NCAA. He spent time as a youth at a refugee camp in Egypt to escape civil war-torn Sudan before attending school in Australia. He comes from a dire financial background and is under more pressure than most American players to show he can provide a living for his parents and siblings.

A source close to the family said Thursday that Majok's family had even suggested Majok consider doing away with plans to attend UConn and play professionally in Australia. Majok's name was in the news a month ago when espn.com reported Josh Nochimson, the decertified agent at the center of the NCAA's investigation into alleged recruiting improprieties by UConn, had helped arrange for Majok to play in an All-Star game in Kentucky.

That, the source said, is not the impetus for the decision announced Thursday. It has only to do with making sure he's setting himself up for a stable financial future.

'He has a great obligation to his family and he wants to show that he's trying to help the family situation,' the source said. 'He's a kid, the eldest son, who is at least showing he will be able to help.'

Majok, 21, might not even work out for NBA teams in the coming weeks. It is highly unlikely he will be selected in the draft lottery perhaps the only situation that could lure him from UConn. But entering the draft does show his family and an entire Sudanese community that he is exploring every option.

'He just wants to do what is best for his family,' the source said. 'He's showing that he's trying to go into the NBA.'

Courtesy of www.courant.com

Breakers reach up with new signing - by Eurobasket NewsThe Breakers will add potentially the tallest man in professional New Zealand sport to their roster in Tall Blacks centre Alex Pledger (216-C-87).

The 22-year-old stands at a few millimetres over 2.13m (7 foot, 1in) and will return to New Zealand next month after a three-year scholarship with Bellmont Abbey College in North Carolina. He will sign with the Breakers as a development player.

Pledger, who has played five games for the Tall Blacks, will also suit up for the defending champion Waikato Pistons for the rest of this year's NBL.

Genuine seven-footers who can also play are few and far between in New Zealand basketball. Tony Rampton is the same height, but the 32-year-old Nelson Giants centre retired from the Tall Blacks last year to extend his club career. He started last season's ANBL with the Sydney Spirit before they withdrew from the league for financial reasons.

'He's a long seven-footer and quite athletic,' Breakers assistant and Waikato coach Dean Vickerman said of Pledger. 'He's a very good defensive rebounder and also has a good touch.

Along with Thomas Abercrombie and Corey Webster, Alex is a young guy who we believe can do some good things for both the Breakers and Tall Blacks over the next 10 years.'

Each team is required to fit development players into their squad and the Breakers intend having two - Pledger and Webster.

There is uncertainty over the makeup of the rest of their squad because of the overhaul of the ANBL.

Each team has had to re-apply for a spot in the league and meet certain criteria based largely on facilities and financial stability. A $1 million bank guarantee was a pre-requisite in the hope of avoiding more teams falling over as the Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets, Sydney Spirit, Victoria Giants and Canberra Cannons have over the past six years.

The Breakers assume they will be included in what is expected to be a nine-team league, which could be announced this week, but it has stalled their recruitment and retention.

CJ Bruton, Kirk Penney, Dillon Boucher, Oscar Forman and Abercrombie will return for next season, expected to start in October.

But until the club's position is confirmed and they know the points allocation for each player - players are rated from one to 10 and squads last season couldn't exceed 68 points - they can't sign with any certainty.

'We are in a bit of a holding pattern,' said Breakers general manager Richard Clarke.

'Hopefully by the end of next week we will know what's going on. We are keen to keep the majority of the team together but if the points remain at 68 it could be a bit difficult.'

The futures of veteran forward Tony Ronaldson, shooting guard Phill Jones and import Rick Rickert are the most uncertain.

Ronaldson, 36, is the most experienced player in the ANBL with more than 600 games, while Jones was named the league's best sixth man for 2008/09.

Clarke said he expected the points rating for both to increase next season, meaning it could be hard to fit them in, while Rickert didn't have the impact the Breakers hoped to get from their sole import.

'Big is a place that we thought we could get better,' Clarke said. 'We haven't decided whether we will have one or two imports so we will sign the local players first and then look to fill the gaps. We are in a pretty good place and [coach] Andrej Lemanis has just got back from [a coaching and scouting mission in] the US so has an idea of what's available.'

Pledger will join the Pistons in early May after his college exams.

'He's a young guy with immense potential,' said Waikato chief executive John Davey. 'He was identified early on as a potential Tall Black. . He hasn't yet been exposed to the NBL and is a little bit raw and will need to find his feet. But he certainly gives us an advantage with that height and he has got quite a nice shooting touch, too.'

Manama are set to play their second match today at 6pm against defending champions Zain of Jordan who kicked off their title defence with a routing 88-57 win over Yemen's Al Tilal.

The Bahrainis will then take a two-day break before playing Al Tilal on Wednesday in their last game of the first round.

Meanwhile, Muharraq yesterday signed off in the 29th GCC Clubs Championship with a 75-85 defeat to UAE champions Al Wasl in Group 'A' match at Al Qadsia Club Gym in Kuwait.

It was the third straight defeat for the 2008 Bahrain league champions who have already bowed out of the tournament following two consecutive defeats to co-hosts Al Jahra 60-89 then title holders Al Arabi of Qatar 48-65 last Friday.

Al Wasl, on the other hand, sealed their berth in the semi-finals after winning their second match which saw them finish second in this four-team group with five points from three matches, one behind leaders Al Jahra who also reached the last four knock-out stage.

Muharraq, coached by American Wayne Mendezona, went into yesterday's game hoping to finish their participation on a high note.

However, Muharraq players faced a stern challenge from their opponents who took runners-up award in the 27th edition tournament held in Bahrain at the Juffair Youth Centre.

Muharraq showed some defensive mistakes and poor finishings as they went behind 21-25 in the first quarter, then went into half-time break with a nine-point deficit of 35-43.

The Bahrainis tried hard to improve on their performance in the third quarter but failed to close in on Al Wasl who managed to stretch their lead to 15 points at 49-64.

Al Wasl went further ahead early in the fourth and final quarter, taking a massive 20-point lead.

However, Muharraq came back later in the game and succeeded to reduce the deficit to 10 points at full-time. \

source gdn

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BALTIC LEAGUE

SEB BBL: Rytas is the champion! - by Janar FilippovLietuvos rytas is the first three-time SEB BBL champion after beating Zalgiris 97:74 (52:49) in the final, held in Tartu.23 points is the biggest ever winning margin in SEB BBL finals history. Chuck Eidson (201-F-80, agency: Court Side, college: S.Carolina) scored 41 points his career high in SEB BBL and also the best ever individual performance in BBL finals history. Eidson also had 8 rebounds and dished 8 assists. His shooting percentage was awesome 80 per cent - 16/20! Unsurprisingly, Eidson was named the MVP of the final game.Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79) added 14 and Marijonas Petravicius (208-F/C-79, college: S.Carolina) 13 points. Dainius Salenga (197-F-77) led Zalgiris with 26 points, Paulius Jankunas (203-F-84, agency: Interperformances) added 11 and Eurelijus Zukauskas 10 points.After the game, Chuck Eidson was asked, is it possible to play basketball better than he did today. The MVP checked the scoresheet and said: 'Well-well...two turnovers, four missed shots. I think, it is possible to play better.' Then again, he admitted that it was his best performance ever, considering the importance of the game. Eidson said that for most of his 41 points, Marijonas Petravicius is the one to be blamed: 'Marijonas is a beast. He is my right hand. Without him under the basket i couldn't have made even half of my shots.'Rytas made 61% of two-pointers, 10/20 of three-pointers and only 8 turnovers. Zalgiris had quite disappointing shooting percentage - 42% of two-point shots.The winners' head coach, olympic champion Rimas Kurtinaitis was very happy with the way his team performed in defence. 'We were perfect in defence. Very aggressive. And also very fast in offence. We stole the ball and made many fast breaks.' Commenting Eidson's performance, Kurtinaitis said: 'We used the same offensive set throughout the game. I can't tell you why Zalgiris could not find the way to understand it and stop us. Then again, if someone thinks he knows how to stop us, I'd like to see it.'The fate of the game was decided in the 3rd quarter when Rytas outscored their opponents 22:6. Until then, the game was even and extremely high-level. For example, both teams combined 14/24 three-pointers in first half.Zalgiris started the game with a storm, going ahead 8:2 and 21:11 as Salenga had 9 pts, already. Then, Chuck Eidson took the initiative, scored 9 in a row and Rytas went ahead 26:25.In 2nd quarter, Mindaugas Lukauskis was unstoppable, scoring 11 points.With two minutes left in first half, Rytas led 48:43 - Eidson and Lukauskis had combined unbelievable 40 points, already.After the intermission, the black and red wall was built under the basket of Rytas and in nine minutes, Rytas allowed the opponents to make only two shots, outscoring the Greens 20:4 and going ahead 72:53. Zalgiris made 2/15 shots and 4 turnovers during that decisive period of the game.The 4th quarter was a matter of formality as Rytas did not give any chances of coming back to the game to the opponents.

Dimayor: Apertura tournament standings - by Daniel ValenciaLiceo Mixto and Provincial Llanquihue are the unbeaten leaders so far in the 'Apertura' tournament. Liceo had two victories playing as host, with the argentinian Fernando Gutman (203-F/C-78, agency: Next Level) filling the foreigner spot and having a good first weekend, averaging 16.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. Also the other two players from the front court, Patricio Briones (213-C-72, college: Dade CC) and Mauricio Cisternas (198-C-83), are in the top 10 of scoring and rebounding after the first four rounds. In the south zone, Llanquihue has established as the most regular team so far, with the backcourt of Leonel Mendez (184-G-75) and Jose Luis Campos (189-G-80) averaging 37 points combined and leading one of the best defenses of the league. The presence of Nicolas Ulloa (170-G-90), one of the most talented young point guards in the league, as also helped, with his 11 points and two assits per game, making him a good pick for the most improved player of the year.

Espanol de Talca (2-2) and Sagrados Corazones (2-1) are in the second and third position so far in the north zone while Universidad de Los Lagos (2-2) and Provincial Osorno (2-1) are following Llanquihue in the south zone standings. The teams that hasn't reach a victory so far are Everton (0-2), that is making the debut in the league, and the disappointing Deportes Castro (0-3), that last year played the semifinals of Dimayor.

CPN grabbed 78-75 victory against GUG finishing the play-off final series with 3-1. It means that CPN became a SRT champion for this season. Samuel Mejia (198-G-83, college: De Paul) once again shined in the winning squad collecting 26 points and 6 rebounds. Victor Ortega also had very important role adding 21 pts and 5 boards, while Luis Martinez (196-F-84, college: William Pater.) helped with 15 pts. Julius Nwosu (207-C-71, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: Liberty) answered with double-double in loss, 16 pts and 14 rebounds. Benjamin Colon (201-F-84, college: Florida CCJ) scored 16 and Jack Michael Martinez (203-F/C-81, agency: Paris Global Sports) contributed with 12 pts and 14 rebs. CPN had better slightly score in both half times. In the first one it was 34-36 and later 41-42. Interesting is that GUG totally outjumped its rivals grabbing 12 rebs more (43 - 31). As a reminder, GUG opened the final series with nice 88-87 overtime win for 1-0 lead. Eric Ferguson top-scored for the winners in that one with 23 points. CPN was better in the second game 72-70 mostly owing to Samuel Mejia and his 18 points. Third game also belonged to CPN 85-81. The new champion ended the SRT second stage on top with 4-1 record. GUG was the second ranked team with 3-3.

Two wins for San Marcos - by Jaime ArevaloIn the last week, San Marcos defeated San Miguel 94-62 and UTEC prevailed, 85-64 over Cosmos. In the first game, San Marcos had 23 points each from Sergio Zetino (173-G-87) and Alberto Hinds (-G), while Gerson Lanza led the Eastern team with con 18, and Juan Reyes added con 16 i losing effort. The win of UTEC was very clear, they won every quarter of the game. With 25 points, Ernesto Oglivie (199-F-88) confirmed his supremacy under the boards, Alejandro Cajar (190-G/F-78) added 13 pts and Joaquin Morataya (190-F-77) 18. The best in Cosmos were Wilson Quijano (19) and Eduardo Aguilar (176-G-86) (15).

Frenchman appointed Mali's national basketball team coach - by Kristian SantiagoFrenchman Hugues Occansey was appointed coach of Mali's men's national basketball team with a mandate to take the team to the upcoming African championships to be held in September in Libya, Malian sports sources told PANA here.

Occansey, who is hired initially for the first three months, could have his contract extended.

His first assignment will be to take the team to the Zone II tournament taking place in Bamako from 15-21 May which will be the qualifying series for the African championships.

To prepare for this tournament, the team will undergo a training stint from 16-21 April in Bamako and from 26-30 April in Lyons, France.

The new coach, who is aged 43, had a successful career as a basketball player in France, Greece and Spain, before turning into a coach.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Detour The Flight Of The Alba Berlin Albatross With An Emotional 73 -66 Victory - by Miles Schmidt-ScheuberThe Deutsche Bank Skyliners have done the unexpected beating Alba Berlin three out of four times at home in the last three years including a 73-66 thriller yesterday, which is frightingly similar to how the 2009 Formula 1 season has commenced unforeseeably with neither Lewis Hamilton or Kimi Raikkonen winning after four races. It took a little over seven months, but Frankfurt showed their best Basketball of the season against eight time BBL champion Alba Berlin. They improved their miserable record against playoff teams to 3-11.' We knew how experienced Berlin was with their Euroleague experience, but we never lost our wish or belief and kept hustling all throughout the game. Our defense mentality was very high in crucnch time and our fans helped make for an intense atmosphere', expressed Frankfurt coach Murat Didin (agency: Interperformances ). Alba Berlin led for a great length of the game, but couldnt match the intensity or success of making baskets in crunch time. 'They played us really well. They took us out of the game well and about half of our offense systems were decided with less than ten seconds left on the shot clock, which speaks for the effectiveness of the Frankfurt defense. They made shots down the stretch and we couldnt make stops,' stressed Alba Berlin center Adam Chubb (207-F/C-81, college: Pennsylvania) The good Frankfurt performance didnt surprise any of its players. 'With playoff time coming nearer and nearer, you have to play well as a team. But it wasnt difficult not to play well with all the energy coming from the fans', added Skyliner guard Adam Emmenecker (185-G-85, college: Drake).

With high temperatures being anticipated for the big Frankfurt-Berlin showdown 72 hours earlier, some players were already thinking about what ice cream they would adore eating on a warm day. After the difficult crunch time win, players thought about a special ice cream reward especially after a victory against eight time champion Alba Berlin.' I am all ready to eat my favourite ice cream. It is actually waiting for me in my apartment freezer. It is snickers ice cream. Ironically, I dont like normal snickers chocolate', expressed Skyliner forward Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.). Skyliner guard Keith Simmons (196-G-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Holy Cross) was quick to answer with his sweet reward. 'After a win like that, I would love to eat mint chocolate chip', said Skyliner American Keith Simmons. Skyliner center Lorenzo Gordon (201-F-83, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Oklahoma City) has the sunny boy look, but seems to also have a sweet tooth. 'I wish for Vanilla Macadamia peanuts and I would get my cousin Jimmy McKinney (192-G-83, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Missouri) some Ben & Jerry cookie dough', said Lorenzo Gordon.

Skyliner coach Murat Didin (agency: Interperformances ) had commented some days earlier that, he would not wish for a top team like Berlin in the quarterfinals of the playoffs comparing it to a boxing champion, but rather wanting a warmup boxer. Frankfurt played like a heavyweight champion and would not have to fear playing against a top boxer if the playoffs started tomorrow. 'We played like Muhammad Ali in the boxing ring. We took their best shot, but got them at the end,' joked Skyliner center Lorenzo Gordon. Ilian Evtimov loves movies and it was only obvious that he would compare the great Skyliner effort to a boxing movie. 'I am looking to the future and to win the BBL title, we have to be able to beat all boxers. I see our team like Jim Braddock in the movie Cinderella Man. The boxer was old and had his back to the wall. He beat three top quality boxers. We will have to beat three top quality teams in the post season,' commented Ilian Evtimov.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners also had absolutely no fear from the old myth about the Albatross bird in that hurting the bird would bring misfortune. Frankfurt seemed to get around the Albatross by not hurting it, but steering it in the wrong direction. 'We were smart and directed Alba Berlin towards the clouds of Frankfurt', joked Skyliner forward Ilian Evtimov. Skyliner coach Murat Didin (agency: Interperformances ) made it clear that leaving the Albatross alone in nature is important, but not letting it roam around freely on the court and create havoc. 'We respected the Albatross very much, but we didnt give it any freedom on the Ballsporthale court', jested Skyliner coach Murat Didin (agency: Interperformances ). Lorenzo Gordon still has a kids heart as he was dreaming a bit about his childhood where capturing your enemy on the play ground was the way to be successful. 'We didnt hurt the Albatross, but caught it with a huge net and a sign explaining that this was our day. But I also think that the Albatross was being nice to us after we lost the first two games, it was fair that we win the third', joked Skyliner Lorenzo Gordon.

The game also marked the return duel between 2005-2006 Cologne teammates Immanuel McElroy (193-G-80, college: Cincinnati) and Titus Ivory (193-G-79, college: Penn St.), who both could light up any room and probably bring more brightnes than the traditional Christmas tree at Rockefeller center in New York with their smiles. The only guy missing would be Michael Jordan (183-G-77, agency: Court Side, college: Pennsylvania) who would add additional flair to the trio with his wide smile and make the skyline of New York look like a sea of lights trying to keep pace with the trio, but slowly start to flicker and lose energy on account of the never stopping radiant smiles of the ex Cologne players. Ivory won the game, but Mcelroy won the stats game. Mcelroy finished with ten points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and three turnovers, but was hiding his usual big smile. 'Imac has the tough x-man smile, but it can be soft as well. You cant harm him. I have a lot of respect for him. He can smile if he wants too. It was a bit frustrating for me missing easy shots, but towards the end I started smiling and enjoying life. The end result brought even a bigger smile to my face', said Skyliner guard Titus Ivory. Titus Ivory finished with three points and four assists and had that cool calm demeanour after the loss reflecting about his friend. 'Titus is a good player, but more importantly he is a good person. He is always smiling and has a great smile', stated Cologne guard Immanuel McElroy.

The hero of the game was BBL rookie Adam Emmenecker, who came into the game in the fourth quarter and gave the team the needed energy giving Frankfurt the lead, which they would never relinquish again. The game brought back vivid memories to his breakout game in the Braunschweig cup game where he scored 13 points. Emmenecker had only logged 24,38 minutes in the last six games and only played 9,09 minutes against Alba Berlin, but did the most of his opportunity scoring seven points, grabbing three rebounds, one assist and two steals. It seemed like Jimmy McKinney had won the back up point guard role the last weeks, but it seems like Murat Didin (agency: Interperformances ) is playing with a new deck of cards with this spirited game by Emmenecker and will not shy away from playing the current strongest players. 'Every player has an important role in the team. For us, it is important that many different guys can help on any given night. Adam knows his role and brought intensity into the game from the bench. He did a good job and what was expected from him', stressed Skyliner coach Murat Didin (agency: Interperformances ). Emmenecker was glowing after the win, but as always was very discreet about his own performance. 'It is never easy not playing much, but I waited my turn, made some shots and plays. This game gave me more added self confidence. I hope to be able to be effective in the future helping the team win', said Skyliner American Adam Emmenecker. The Skyliners know what Emmenecker is capable of and the expectations arent low. 'We need Adam like this every day. He was great in the full court pressure and finding the fast break position. If he continues to play like that then we could go to the championship', warned Skyliner assistant coach Engin Gencoglu

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners started flat falling behind 6-0 as Alba Berlin Adam Chubb scored twice inside looking like the teacher and his opponent Greg Jenkins (206-F/C-82, college: Iona) looking like his student who was trying to learn how to stop him. The Ballsporthalle was still finding its own rhythm as the 5000 fans were still getting warmed up in the cheering category while Frankfurt was getting into groove. Frankfurt was having problems matching the Berlin intensity, but Derrick Allen (203-F-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Mississippi) made a spin move around Ansu Sesay (206-C/F-76, college: Mississippi) trying to spurn his team to the needed intensity. Frankfurt trailed 7-6, but Frankfurt couldnt stop the quick Berlin passing inside as Adam Chubb scored again. Berlin held the lead 9-6, but Keith Simmons scored from the wing and finished a Frankfurt fast break on a two handed dunk. Alba Berlin still led 11-10, but Frankfurt stayed tough not letting Alba Berlin take control of the game like they did winning the first quarter 30-12 in Berlin in January. With Alba Berlin leading 15-13, Derrick Allen countered with a lay in off a quick feed from Titus Ivory. However Alba Berlin got a timely three pointer from ex NBA player Casey Jacobsen (198-G/F-81, agency: Octagon, college: Stanford) and were leading 19-15 after one quarter. 'They started strong and it took us some time to find our rhythm. Alba Berlin made tough shots, but we didnt lose control', added Skyliner forward Ilian Evtimov. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were shooting 55% from two point range, but an unacceptable 0% from the parking lot while Alba Berlin were shooting 70% from two point range, but only 25% from three point range. The rebounds and turnovers were even at seven and two a piece.

In the second quarter, the game picked up even more playoff atmosphere as the Ballsporthalle got more boisterous and the quality of play also increased. After a Blagota Sekulic made a lay in, Lorenzo Gordon followed with a mid distance jumper that looked like he never wanted to take, but did anyway. Frankfurt trailed 21-18. In Bamberg, Steffen Hamann (194-G-81) was a legend and in Berlin, he is a role player that came into the game in the second quarter for the first time. After never being known as a solid shooter, he has really improved his shooting the last two years with 48% last season and currently at 47%. The Frankfurt defense must of not known his stats from outside leaving him open on the wing for the open three pointer. After two Jimmy McKinney free throws, Frankfurt trailed only 24-20. Alba Berlin was a bit more variable on offense as Frankfurt was still trying to find more inside passing and combinations for easy baskets. Lorenzo Gordon brought Frankfurt back to 24-22 after getting a crisp pass from Evtimov. Hamann charged back penetrating into the zone finishing with his right hand. Alba Berlin led 26-22, but Jimmy McKinney unleashed a high rainbow shot that would of reminded any ST Louis native of the Gateway Arch.

Frankfurt trailed only 26-25, but Alba Berlin stayed strong on offense not letting Frankfurt disturb them. Immanuel McElroy who wont shy away from anyone snuck under the hoop and made a tip in. Alba Berlin led 28-25, but both teams traded hoops with Lorenzo Gordon and Casey Jacobsen with a running hook shot. Frankfurt trailed only30-27, but would take their first lead as Konrad Wysocki (202-F-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Princeton) made a lay in and captain Pascal Roller made a three pointer while falling back. Julius Jenkins (187-G-81, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia Southern) knotted the score at 32-32 after twenty minutes. 'We came back, made a run, made shots and were back at 0-0 at half time', stressed Skyliner forward Ilian Evtimov. 'We played well, but they were able to match our intensity', said Aleksandar Nadjfeji. The stats were quite even at halftime as Frankfurt was shooting 46% from the field and 25% from three point land, while Alba Berlin was shooting 52% from the field and 25% from three point range. Frankfurt had the slight edge 15-14 under the boards and each team had four turnovers. The game also saw two technical fouls called against Immanuel McElroy and Konrad Wysocki. Wysocki fell hard to the ground with some contact given from Mcelroy. 'I hit him with my foot in the head, but it wasnt intentional. We were playing hard and it is just part of the game', added Alba Berlin guard Immanuel McElroy.

There were some notable Basketball people at the game including German national coach Dirk Bauermann who visited Dirk Nowitzki (211-F-78) recently in Dallas and sees the chances of the NBA Allstar of playing for Germany at the European Championships in Poland at 50/50. Ex Skyliner Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college: N.Mexico) playing at Dijon, France was also at the game spending a few days together with Jimmy McKinney. He liked the intensity of the game and saw good chances for Frankfurt at half time. 'If Frankfurt can continue to get defensive stops, hit the boards and keep the momentum, then they will have good chances of winning', warned ex Skyliner Eric Chatfield. The game continued to be a hard fought battle, but Frankfurt was not able to retake the lead in the third quarter. In the first few minutes, Alba Berlin would retake the lead three times, but Frankfurt would tie three times. Wysocki, Roller and Gordon made the tieing shots. But at 40-40, Alba Berlin raced out on a 11-4 run to lead 51-44. Adam Chubb scored inside as the Frankfurt rotation fell apart, which was followed by two three pointers from Julius Jenkins and Ansu Sesay and another hoop by Adam Chubb. Frankfurt was missing too many shots in this phase, but before Alba Berlin could extend the lead, they responded with a 10-1 run to close out the third quarter with the 54-52 lead. American Adam Emmenecker started the scoring barrage with a three pointer from the top of the key, Gordon with a lay in from a no look Evtimov pass and two free throws by Keith Simmons. 'We slowly took the momentum and built on it in the fourth quarter', stated Skyliner forward Ilian Evtimov. 'They got too many easy baskets inside', added Alba Berlin forward Aleksandar Nadjfeji (203-F-76) Frankfurt was shooting 52% from two point range and 38% from the parking lot, while Alba Berlin was shooting 59% from two point range and 36% from three point land. Frankfurt led the rebounding duel 25-22 and both teams had little turnovers with five for Alba Berlin and four for Frankfurt

The fourth quarter began with a 5-0 Alba Berlin run as Sekulic made a spin move scoring inside and Hamann scored from beyond the three point line. Frankfurt then answered with a 6-0 run to retake the lead 60-57, which they would never give up again. Adam Emmenecker led the attack finishing off the fast break, Gordon stuffing home a Ivory miss and Emmenecker again penetrating strong to the hole, but using his body intelligently shielding the opponent from the ball and finishing for two points. Ilian Evtimov was the first to congratulate the Drake alumnist. Alba Berlin didnt hold back on offense, but Frankfurt just played very intelligent making the most of their offensive chances. After Ivory hit a three pointer, that was met by a Jacobson three pointer. Gordon made a free throw and Frankfurt led 64-62. Crunch time was nearing closer and the turning point of game was the perfect pass from Ivory to Wysocki for the alley-oop. Frankfurt led 66-62 and the Ballsporthalle was about as loud as game five of the 2004 BBL finals. Julius Jenkins then turned over the ball as he was trying to shine with his ball handling in the zone, but the Frankfurt defense wasnt impressed or worried. After an Evtimov free throw, Gordon made a tough bucket in traffic in the zone. Frankfurt led 69-62. Nadjfeji countered with a hoop inside, but Frankfurt kept scoring as Evtimov timed a perfect bounce pass to a streaking Wysocki into the zone. Frankfurt led 71-64 with less than a minute and the game was as good as decided. 'The Konrad dunk gave us the energy to put away Alba Berlin. It is always difficult to dig down on the road and come back. We had many guys that were stepping up', said Skyliner guard Adam Emmenecker. 'We didnt keep the focus down the stretch and the turnovers hurt us', stated Alba Berlin center Adam Chubb 'This was a big win for us, because we have been struggling all season long against top teams. We beat a top team which is bringing us into playoff rhythm', stated Skyliner guard Titus Ivory.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners took revenge after losing twice to Alba Berlin this season with their best effort of the season. The stats were about as even as it gets as Frankfurt out shot Alba Berlin 51% to 49% while Alba Berlin out shot Frankfurt 41% to 40% from three point land. Frankfurt out rebounded Alba Berlin 31-27. The game could have been closer had Alba Berlin shot better from the free throw line(9/17) and had less turnovers with 14. The Frankfurt team defense did a great job holding a Euroleague Top 16 club to 66 points.' Our defense got stronger as the game progressed. We put more pressure on them, changed things up keeping them off balance and just kept a high intensity until the end', stressed Skyliner American Titus Ivory. The Frankfurt bench did a super job scoring 40 of the 73 points. 'We got great help from Konrad, Adam, Titus and Ilian from the bench,' added Skyliner assistant coach Engin Gencoglu. Alba Berlin received a clear cut warning from Frankfurt that they are a team that you cant underestimate. 'Many teams can win the BBL title, but to be honest if Frankfurt keeps up their intensity on defense, then they will be a team that nobody wants to run into in the playoffs', warned Alba Berlin center Adam Chubb. Frankfurt now has 13 days until the last game of the season in Quackenbruck. In the meantime, the Euroleague Final 4 will be played in Berlin and Frankfurt will have a couple of exhibition games. The team now has to stay focused and not think too much about the Berlin win. 'We can use the next week, for practice, conditioning and rest. But we cant get big headed. We have to continue to work hard for the Artland game', warned Ilian Evtimov. The Artland Dragons host The Deutsche Bank Skyliners on May 9th at 19:30.

Kirchheim - B.Muenchen 99-90Kirchheim is 18-12 after the win over Muenchen 99:90. Radivoj Tomasevic (180-G-78) led all the winners with 20 points and Scott Gordon delivered 16. Parker Kelvin was responsible for 26 points for the guests.

Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.) is a 201cm forward that has the French/Bulgarian Nationality. He started his Basketball career at The University of North Carolina State where he averaged in 31 games: 10.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FG: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT: 89.5% in his senior year. He started his career in Italy for VidiVici Bologna where he averaged in 15 games: 3.1ppg, 2.1rpg. he didnt get much playing time so he left and signed with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners in the summer of 2007. Lasts eason he averaged in 13.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 41.4%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 86.2%. His stats have dipped a bit this season, due to a deeper roster than last season. Ilian took some time to talk to Eurobasket on the eve of his 26th birthday. He talks about his birthday, Deutsche Bank Skyliners, Greg jenkins, Eva Mendes, Lebron James and movies.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners have been playing well the last weeks. How ready is the team for the playoffs?

The team is ready. We have been improving lately. We have to play our best basketball in the playoffs.

The team has a 2-11 record against playoff teams. Not exactly a brilliant record. Could this record be a psychological advantage for Frankfurt? The opponents will either respect your talent or totally underestimate you.

I think the teams know what we are capable of.

What is the teams biggest weakness against the playoff teams? It seemed like you were missing the killer instinct against Oldenburg in the fourth quarter.

If we have a weakness, it is not for me to talk about it, but for other teams to figure it out.

If Berlin is a Ferrari and Frankfurt a Maserati, how can you pass the Ferrari to victory?

By driving the newest Maserati, super charged.

The Giessen derby was no comparison to what you experienced with North Carolina State-North Carolina. What was missing from the Giessen game that you would have liked to have seen?

I really liked the atmosphere. I dont think anything was missing at all. Our fans were great.

German Basketball has seldom seen a more notable sponsor than The Deutsche Bank. Do you ever sit back and think about what it means to be playing for this prestigious bank?

Often. Just look at the world wide financial and banking news, and often see their name. When you represent such a name, it is important to represent it right.

Besides the bumpy bus ride in the Ukraine, what else was memorable on the road in Eurochallenge play? Daniel rung enjoyed Estonia.

I really enjoyed playing against former teammate Marcus Melvin. He was like my big brother in college.

Your stats are down this season, but where exactly is your confidence? A shooting slump is never easy to handle, but are you as comfortable this season shooting in crunch time as last season?

My confidence is good. Shooting slumps come and go, mine was in March.

Do you believe in rituals? For example, do you have the same pre game meal before home games, or do you warm up a certain way?

I warm up in a specific way. First I warm up my joints, then I move to dynamic stretching, then to coordination before starting to shoot. Later we do our usual static stretching with the team.

You recently shaved off the beard. Was that beard really only there, because you didnt want to shave?

Yes.

What pre game meal do you choose the most before a 15.00 game the Ballsporthalle?

Small portion of pasta, a few scrambled eggs, and perhaps some yogurt. You dont want to stuff yourself right before the game.

Your birthday is Tuesday. Are you awaiting a surprise party from Greg Jenkins? Any plans?

Not that I am aware of. But I will have one for his birthday. hahaha

What is your nicest birthday memory growing up as a kid?

There are two. My first cell phone which was a gift from my brother, at the time cell phones were not as big yet. I was in high school. The second, I had a special birthday party in college, all the people that were important to me came to it. It was great. I wasnt exactly a kid

What is the perfect birthday gift that you have always wanted, but never gotten?

I never really ask for anything for my birthday. I am just grateful for the people who remember my birthday.

What is something typical that happens on birthdays in Bulgaria?

The only typical thing about my birthday is that I am born on the same day as my mom. My father and brother went to the store to get some things for the birthday party they were getting ready to have for my mom, but when they came back, I suppose I didnt want the party to start without me.

Do you think that you have the talent of blowing out all 26 candles in one blow? What special talent do you need?

Never tried blowing 25, no clue.

Ill set up a birthday dinner with Eva Mendes. Just kidding! What would be the first words that would pop out of your mouth?

Do I get you for appetizer or dessert?

What is your most cherished present that your brother Vassil has ever given you?

Perhaps my first car.

What is your favourite Birthday cake?

Biscuit cake from my mom.

Do the Cavs have the chance to go all the way this season?

Yes. They have Lebron. Nothing is impossible for this guy.

How can the Celtics repeat without Kevin Garnett?

I am not sure they will be able to without him.

If your coming into the lane against Telekom Baskets Bonn center Ken Johnson, do you go hard towards the glass or give a no look pass to an open Derrick Allen underneath.

I go hard towards the glass and tell the big fellow to go get it.

How would you defeat Greg Jenkins in a one on one tug of war contest?

We already did play once in practice. There is really no way to stop him. My best defense against him is my offense. I stay on offense by scoring, then no need to play defense.

I am still waiting of a new drawing of me. Have you come up with any interesting ideas?

Grundy run with .1000 and still go - by George ManousidisIt is very difficult for a player in 2009 to put in the opponent basket more than 1000 points in two seasons. Anthony Grundy (189-G-79, agency: Strategic Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) with last night game make 1005 in 55 games (I am not calculating Cup or European competition). In the same time he owns the second place in steals and assists.I ask him what means for him that achievement and Anthony Grundy say to me : Is very important but the big owner goes to my fellow players and my coaches, but I believe personal distinction has no value if the team did not achieve its objectivesHis Greek representative Thanos Koukouravas from La sports says:'Is very hard an athlete in such a competitive and tough championship to make 1000 points, I am very proud for Tony and I thank my colleagues, Matt Brown and Jamie Knox who give me in my trusted for Europe

A1,Round 1 (Quarter Finals) : Sweep for the leaders of greek championship - by Dimitris AggelidisPAOK - Panathinaikos 78-82Not as easy as expected,Panathinaikos made the sweep against his northern rivals.In the 1st quarter Paok dominated and managed to take a 13 points lead,mainly due to Dejan Tomasevic (208-F/C-73, agency: Beo Basket) and Johnsen.The Greens were forced to take the game more seriously and managed with good defence and more clear mind in final attempts,to take a difficult victory against a worthy opponent.Alexis Kiritsis (198-G-82) and Britton Johnsen (208-F-79, college: Utah) scored 23 points each for PAOK,while Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland) nailed 16 points and gave 5 assists,followed by Vassilis Spanoulis who delivered 3 points less than him.VAP Kolossos - Olympiakos 76-86Olympiakos can officially start considering his next big challenge on Friday, in the semi finals of Euroleague,after beating the Rhodian team in their home.Giannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) did everything for the Pireus team,delivering 21 points and gathering 19 rebounds.The final result doesnt reflect the true picture of the game.The Rhodians had Papanikolopoulos and Vasiljevic in a very good day,both scoring from 13 points each,giving Kolossos the hope of getting something more from this game.This was the 21st consecutive win for the Reds in A1.

New interest in the league of the second division as Arkadikos lost in his home court from Serelis's Lavrio who succeeded the most importand road win of the seazon, an amazing step for Lavrio team who succeeded to beat Arkadikos in his unbeaten home court (12-0), Lavrio is currently among the top favorite teams to be promoted in the A2. At the same time, Apollon Kalamarias beat Amyntas and now there are 6 teams for three positions (Amyntas 19-7, Ikaroi Serron 19-7, Lavrio 18-8, Ikaroi Kallitheas 18-8, Arkadikos 18-8, OFI 17-9). The results with more analysis are as follows:Arkadikos - Lavrio 84-86The quarters were: 22-23, 42-39, 56-64, 84-86.Top scorers:Arkadikos: Giannis Manos (186-G-71) 26, Moutran 17Lavrio: Nick Psileas (200-F-80) 24, Dionysios Giannakopoulos (195-G/F-82) 23

Greek A1 league: More fans this season in the courts - by Serafim KaraiskakisThe regular season finished in Greek A1 league and we had a 16% increase in the overall tickets. Aris and Kolossos had 66% increase in their tickets proving that fans outside Athens are thirsty to watch more games. Childress, Papaloukas and the other big transfers Olympiakos made the summer gave him 59% more tickets in their home games.The last season champion Panathinaikos had a big reduction (-29%) in this year tickets, while AEK, another team from Athens, finished with (-30%) less tickets but they have an alibi because they moved into a small court.

Vasilis Fragias will not continue in Keravnos - by Serafim KaraiskakisThe Greek head coach, Vasilis Fragias will not continue his career in Keravnos. After three successful years, the Greek coach and the team from Cyprus with a mutual decision they will not be together the new season. Keravnos won a local cup and a championship with Vasilis Fragias but this season they lost the title from Apoel despite having the court advantage. The management of Keravnos made a press statement about the divorce, thanking also the Greek coach for his services these three years.

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GUATEMALA

Elite sport defeats Le Mans, Liga Metro could change soon - by Gianni PascucciLanco Elite Sport confirmed to be very hard to beat in this year's Liga Metropolitana. They defated high ranked Le Mans 80-57 with Alexis Mazariegos leading the way at 20 points. But the new of the week is another one. It seems that finally the Guatemalan male basketball will be organized in a totally different way. There are rumos that, starting from next year, will be formed a 'Liga Superior' with professional managing standards and a maximum of 8 teams, every one of them with one or two imports. This could raise the level of competition and the interest of the fans in Guatemala City.

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HOLLAND

Eiffel Towers, Amsterdam and Hanzevast Capitals advance to semis - by Eurobasket NewsUpstairs Weert - Eiff.Towers 75-76In Weert in the Eiffel Towers-Upstairs Weert series, Eiffel trailed of were tied in the game for a total of 39:58 minutes, but the end results are what count with 0:00 left, as two free throws by Taron Downey (186-G-83, college: Wake Forest) sent Eiffel advancing to the semifinals round and Upstairs on vacation winning 76-75. Downey, who was scoreless until the 3:18 mark of the 3rd quarter, led Eiffel with 18 pts., including streaks of scoring both 8 and 5 pts. in a row to help Eiffel gain the momentum swings it needed, including a three-point play in the last seconds on dribble penetration. *More comments for this game already posted in the previous news by the local correspondent Sanders Jackson

ZZ Leiden - Amsterdam 63-67In Leiden, #1 seeded Eclipse Jet/MyGuide had their hands full with upset minded ZZ Leiden throughout the first three quarters, but in the deciding 4th quarter the team of Arik Shivek put the clamps on ZZ, plus with two-time FEB MVP Peter Van Paassen (210-C/F-78, agency: Court Side, college: St.Bonaventure) doing damage inside, with Eclipse Jet/MG ending ZZ's season with a 67-63 win. Eclipse Jet/MG forced ZZ into a 4th quarter scoring drought, allowing only 5 total pts., and with shooting numbers of only 40.5% FG. The lack of good perimeter shooting balanced with their inside attack did ZZ in. *More comments for this game already posted in the previous news by the local correspondent Sanders Jackson

Rotterdam - Hanzev.Cpt 73-75In the Topsportcentrum, Hanzevast Capitals overcame the pressure of pesky Rotterdam Challengers to win closely 75-73 to return to the FEB semifinals for the first time since 2006. Hanzevast had a big performance from X-factor Sebastien Bellin (205-C-78, college: Oakland) who scored 23 pts. inside to lead Hanzevast. The Rotterdammers, who shot the ball poorly from both the field (42.6%) and free throw line (only 12 of 23), were led by Bobby Walker with a game-high 25 pts. *More comments for this game already posted in the previous news by the local correspondent Sanders Jackson

Matrixx Magix - West Brabant 80-69The box-score will be available soon.

In the Horstacker, Matrixx staved off elimination, getting off to a good start, putting the pressure early on West-Brabant and maintaining control of the game tempo in winning 80-69. Matrixx led 47-34 at halftime, remained cool when the Giants made an 18-5 run through the middle of the 3rd quarter to cut Matrixx's lead to 62-56. But in the end Matrixx could rely on strong play from the Dutch combination of Raoul Heinen and Gerrit Brigitha (204-F/C-82, college: Cent.Michigan), plus strong work on the glass, winning the battle of the boards 48-35. *More comments for this game already posted in the previous news by the local correspondent Sanders Jackson

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HUNGARY

U20 Final Four - Albacomp is the Champion! - by Patonay AdamThe first and second team from the regular season of the A Division and B Divison meet today in Zalaegerszeg for decide who have the best under 20 team. Albacomp, ZTE, Szeged and Debrecen. The players borned in 1989 (or younger) and every team could use 2 players who are older (1988, 1987). The two A Division team won the first games and they played the final. Szedeak Szeged beat Debrecen and won the bronze-medal.Albacomp started with Hanga's basket and lead on the begining of the game. Adam Toth (208-F/C-89) dominated under the basket but both team couldn't make the 3 point shots that's why the difference was very small beetwen the two team during the game. ZTE missed their guard Oliver Toth who injured on the first game while Szabolcs Antal (202-F-89, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) played in Albacomp but after a longer injury. Hanga was unstoppable but the PG of ZTE, Daniel Kertesz didn't let to win easily the favourite team. At all we could watch a strong game and good basketball! The two centers Akos Keller (206-F/C-89) and Adam Toth played very hard against each other, Daniel Kertesz and Andras Madar (191-G-91) gave good passes and lead their teams, Kornel Starics (192-G-88) and Gergely Baki (195-G/F-87, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) worked hard against Adam Hanga (201-G-89, agency: FCM) who is the member of the senior national team. ZTE couldn't make the open threes (1/18) on home court while Adam Hanga dominated and Albacomp won the National Championship!

Slam's winning streak snapped in 114-111 loss to Explosion - by Eurobasket NewsThe Bellingham Slam could not overcome shoddy officiating as they suffered a heartbreaking 114-111 loss to the Snohomish County Explosion in a heated International Basketball league game at the Monroe Sports Arena Saturday.

After falling behind early, the Slam mounted a comeback in the middle stages of the second quarter, taking their first lead of the contest at the 8:07 mark on a pair of free throws by Jacob Stevenson (6'4''-G-81, college: W.Washington). Bellingham carried their lead into halftime, at 57-54.

The Slam started to pull away in the third quarter and led by as many as ten, thanks to eight points in the frame from Ira Graham (6'2''-G, college: W.Washington), but the Explosion were able to chip away and trailed by just four, at 85-81, going into the fourth quarter.

The Slam led by ten, at 103-93, with four minutes to play when the Explosion got hot from outside, sinking four straight three-pointers to take their first lead since the second quarter, at 105-103. The two teams traded baskets for the next several possessions, with the Slam regaining the lead at 111-110 on a dunk by Lukas Henne with 52 seconds left. But that would be the last basket the Slam would score, as the Explosion were able to win the game at the free throw line with four key makes in the last 30 seconds.

'It's a very young team, tonight they struggled in the second quarter a bit. Coming out of halftime they worked on passing the ball and minimizing turnovers which was a big key tonight,' Mumm said. 'The youth is starting to mold together.'

MAHRAM ; 20th CHAMPION of IRAN BASKETBALL SUPERLEAGUE - by Mohammad AhmadiIran Basketball Superleague 2008-2009 finished and Mahram, the Champion of WABA in 2009, also got the Championship of Iran Basketball Superleague 2008-2009. In the second game of Final round, Mahram and Zob Ahan played in Tehran - Azad Basketball Hall and At the last, mahram won the game 91-78 and will go to Asian Championship in Indonesia as the Champion of Iran.

At the first and second Quarter both of Mahram and Zob Ahan didn't play well and the result was 27 - 31 for Zob Ahan at the end of 2nd quarter. But in the third quarter, Mahram players got the advices of coach Mustafa Hashemi and did really well and by great performance of Aidin Kabir (194-F/G-79) and Samad Nikhhah Bahrami, they scored 36 points against just 17 points of Zob Ahan and at the end of the game, Mahram won the game by 91-76 and got the Championship.

Player of the Year:Colin O'Reilly (197-F-84) of UCC DemonsGuard of the Year:Jonathan Reed (183-G-81) of HoopsForward of the Year:Colin O'Reilly of UCC DemonsCenter of the Year:Vincent James (201-F/C-85) of Neptune * he plays usually as a forward, but he had to take center position at Neptune as the tallest player in starting fiveDomestic Player of the Year:Colin O'Reilly of UCC DemonsImport Player of the Year:Jerrah Young (201-F-85) of UCC DemonsDefensive Player of the Year:Patrick Kelly (191-G-80) of DART KillesterCoach of the Year: Dough Leichner of UCC Demons

National League Round: 2 (Quarter-Finals) - by Eurobasket NewsLev Hashar. - Macc.Ashdod 85-79Lev Hasharon won over Maccabi Ashdod 85:79 to tie the series at 1-1. Adrian Uter (201-F/C-84, college: Hofstra) top-scored for the winners with 22 points and 19 rebounds, while Ron Or netted 19. Brewington Dwight ended up with 26 points in the losing effort.

Ironi N-Ziona - Hap.Afula 93-89Ironi N-Ziona bounced back after the loss in the opener from Hapoel Afula and beat them 93:89 in Game 2. Eilon Zagury (201-F/C-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) paced all the winners with 26 points and Dan Tal added 22. Carr Dennis erupted with 28 points and 16 rebounds in defeat.

Hap.Tivon - Bar.Netanya 90-98Netanya is the only team with 2-0 record after another win over Hapoel Tivon 98:90. Tony Washam (198-F/G-82, college: St.Vincent) led all the winners with 30 points, while Gueta Eliran had 24 points and 13 boards. Harris Andre shined with 29 points and 13 rebounds in the losing case.

Cimberio Varese has won Legadue Championship and returns to Serie A after the bitter relegation of last season. Harem Scafati and Fileni Jesi have gained play off after a final sprint over Energetic Livorno. Seven 2007 Roseto has finished the season with 12 defeats in a row.

Joseph Bunn (198-F-75,college:Phillis(OK) of Aget Imola is top scorer of regular season with 23.14 ppg, followed by Marcelus Kemp (196-G-84,college:Nevada) of Energetic Livornowith 20.70 ppg and Zabian Dowdell(191-G-84,college:Virginia Tech) of Fastweb CM with 20.67 ppg.Jaime Lloreda (201-F-80,college:LSU) of Roseto is the best rebounder with 9.47 rpg in 19 games,followed by Marco Killingsworth (203-F/C-82,college:Indiana) of Enel Brindisi with 9.03 rpg in 30 games.Jason Rowe (178-G-78,college:Loyola,MD) of BdS Sassari is the best assistman with an average of 4.87.

Serie A Week 28 Review - by Stefano PiniMvp of the week Shaun Stonerook (203-F/C-77, college: Ohio)16 points, 14 rebounds, 1 block, 3 steals and 5 assistsSiena-Bologna was a huge game, played by huge stars.Usually we don't celebrate Stonerook for his numbers, but against Bologna he had too many season high (points, rebounds, assists) to not underline his performance.For Siena is the victory number 27 of the season, while Virtus Bologna, Thursday night could come back in position number 2 of the standing winning at Teramo.

Euro Player of the week Tautvydas Lydeka (208-C/F-83)13 points, 9 rebounds, 7 fouls won, 4 steals, 0 turnover.Lydeka is a big man that knows how to move on a basket court. He is very able to to roll, after the pick, to receive close to the rim and he has big impact on his team.In 11 games won by Cantu with him on the court he had 7,1 points and 4,5 rebounds in 13'.In 10 games lost by Cantu with him on the court he had 3,7 points and 3,7 rebounds in 11'

Losing Effort of the week Andre Collins (183-G-82, college: Loyola, MD)24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 6 assists.Watching Ferrara-Biella the main sensation was that Serie A is a great league.It was a high level game between 2 teams that were fighting for the 8th position.

89ers - Albirex 90-78Albirex finished the regular season on a high note as they thumped 89ers. Calvin Chitwood (203-F-86, agency: Passing Lane, college: Cal.St. Northridge) had 20 points and 10 boards for Niigata. Paul Butorac added 19 points and 10 boards in the win. Rodney Webb responded with 22 points for the 89ers as they slipped at 30-22 record.

Five Arrows - Rizing 72-73Rizing eked out a narrow road win over Five Arrows to finish the regular season at 22-30 record. Bryant Marlin was responsible for 31 points and 15 boards. Reo Logan had 16 points and 7 boards in the win. Babacar Camara had 24 points and 11 boards as Five Arrows suffered the 19th defeat.

LBL D2 The End of the Regular Season - by Eurobasket NewsValmiera U21 - Jurmala 70-79Valmiera U21 lost to Jurmala 70:79 in Regular Season Round 37. Martins Meijers (202-C-91) paced all the winners with 22 points, while Ramma Janis notched 16 points in defeat. Klavs Bedritis (192-G-84, college: Three Rivers CC) finished the night with 28 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.

LU/Ridzene - Keizarm.U21 97-62LU/Ridzene beat Keizarmezs U21 97:62 to finish with 13-11 record. Six players scored in double figures for the winners as Ivars Strelis (201-F-87, college: Trinity Valley JC) led all of them with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Rubenis Harijs resisted with 24 points for the visitors.

Kandava - Valmiera U21 83-89Valmiera U21 finished 5th with 16-8 record as the rolled over Kandava 89:73. Klavs Bedritis top-scored for the winners with 26 points, while Rozitis Arturs had 22 points and 11 boards. Celms Girts delivered 27 points for the home side.

Saldus - Keizarm.U21 73-69Saldus finished the Regular Season on the fourth position with 17-7 record beating Keizarmezs U21 73:69. Edgars Buikis (180-G-84) top-scored for the winners with 21 points and Celmins Toms netted 14. Silavs Reno responded with 17 points in defeat.

Livani - Zemgale/Jun. 73-85Even though Livani lost to Zemgale/Juniors 73:85 the team won the Regular Season. Kristaps Melnbardis (200-F/C-80) led the winners with 25 points, while Kalnins Oskars and Berzins Didzis scored 12 each. Senkans Armands answered with 18 points for the hosts.

Contern stopped Etzella's 5 game winning streak avenging a 20 point loss back on March 27th. With the win, Contern takes sole posession of first place in the DBBL title chase. With a road win in Steinsel against Amicale Steinsel in their final campaign today, Contern can gain the important home court advantage. Etzella led 2-6 in the beginning of the game. It was their only lead. contern blew out Etzella the rest of the way. Up twelve going into the 4th period, Contern poured it on heavy, completely annihilating Etzella 30-14 for the 29 point victory. Brandon Gary (202-F-83, agency: Passing Lane, college: Hutchinson CC) paced the winners with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocked shots. Eric Jeitz was next with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Ken Diederich and Gilles Becker added 18 points each. Becker also dished for 7 assists. Clearly, this was the best Contern has played all season long and they seem to be peaking at the right moment. Nelson DelGado struggled in the firt half and Marcus Kennedy (193-F-84, college: Montevallo) in the second half. Kennedy , however finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds. DelGado score only 14 points, but took 9 rebounds and handed out 8 assists. Tim Giver was steady throughout with 15 points. Cedric Schroeder was held to only 2 points and Jairo DelGado 8. Etzella has a chance tonight to knock Sparta out of the top 4.

Remich, LuxembourgMusel Pikes dealt a huge blow to S parta by slipping past them by 3 points last Sunday afternoon in Remich. In a very close game, Musel Pikes showed early controlwinning the first quarter by 7 points. This would prove to be enough of a lead to obtain a victory as the rest of the game was very, very close. Sparta won the 2nd quarter by 2 points and the 3rd quarter by 2 points. The final period was a solid 12-12 tie. Musel Pikes now has won 3 in a row and appear to be the hottest team in the DBBL for now. Samy Picard led in scoring again with 30 points. Picard added 8 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and 2 assists. Guy Schmit scored big as well with 22 points while dropping 5 assists. Import player Chris Braier (195-F-84, college: Lawrence) had a great game again with a 17 point 13 rebound double-double while holding Larrie Smith (195-F-75, college: Tennessee Tech) to only 6 points in the second half. Speaking of Smith, Larrie did lead Sparta in scoring as usual with 29 points but took an unusually low number of rebounds with 6 according to the FLBB stats. Pit Hoffmann had a huge double-double with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Julian Hublart scored 10. Sparta played without captain and floor leader Christian Wulff.

T71 has Frank Muller and Tom Schumacher back for the the remainder ofthe playoffs. This could be bad news for the other DBBL teams. The recently crowned 2009 Cup Champions have come on strong. With Tom Schumacher's 25 point, 5 assists leading the way, the T71 squad has now another scorer and a defender rebounder in Frank Muller to give depth needed for a strong finish. Muller grabbed 14 rebounds! Sharing the scoring lead with Schumacher was Martin Rajniak also with 25 points. Getting lots of help now, Tim Whitworth (198-G/F-81, agency: Court Side, college: Drexel) doesn't have to focus so much on scoring and can do other things. Whitworth fishished with 20 points. Amicale, who will not be in the final 4 are playing now for pride only. Travis DePree (201-F/C, college: Albion) stepped it up with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Christopher Jones pitched in 15 points and Sam Ney 13. Christian Schartz, who seems to be in a bit of a slump was held to 2 points but added 5 assists. T71 shot 63% from the field and 43 % from the 3 point line and dominated the war on the glass by a 35-23 margin. Amicale struggled from the three point line and the three point line where they went 4/16 and 10/17. It was a reallly tight match until T71 went on a huge 4th quarter run leading by as many as 13 points near the end.

Frenchman appointed Mali's national basketball team coach - by Kristian SantiagoFrenchman Hugues Occansey was appointed coach of Mali's men's national basketball team with a mandate to take the team to the upcoming African championships to be held in September in Libya, Malian sports sources told PANA here.

Occansey, who is hired initially for the first three months, could have his contract extended.

His first assignment will be to take the team to the Zone II tournament taking place in Bamako from 15-21 May which will be the qualifying series for the African championships.

To prepare for this tournament, the team will undergo a training stint from 16-21 April in Bamako and from 26-30 April in Lyons, France.

The new coach, who is aged 43, had a successful career as a basketball player in France, Greece and Spain, before turning into a coach.

Pistons could shake team up this summer - by Eurobasket NewsIf it was his last game as a Piston, Antonio McDyess (6'9''-F-74, college: Alabama) went out with guns blazing.

With his team falling further and further behind, he kept hitting shots and grabbing rebounds.

The Cleveland Cavaliers finished their first-round sweep of the Pistons, 99-78, Sunday at the Palace, but McDyess left it all on the court as he tied a career playoff high with 26 points.

He added 10 rebounds, another part of the highlight tape teams around the league will watch when they decide whether to make a pitch for the unrestricted free agent.

'I just tried to leave everything I had out there,' McDyess said. 'With a loss or a win or however it came out, I just wanted to leave everything I had on the court.'

When he signed with the Pistons after the team won the 2004 NBA title, he thought he was close to getting a championship ring.

But after five seasons, he is still looking for that ring, and with the Pistons in transition, he might decide to land with a championship contender. He likely will be in demand from teams that think he might be the missing piece to a championship.

And he admitted this dismal season could impact his decision this summer.

'It was a disappointing season for me and for everyone in this locker room,' McDyess said. 'It will probably play a role in what my decision is. At this point I just want to win and at least compete. This season just seems like a loss for us.'

A LOOK AT NEXT YEAR: The Pistons likely will undergo a major roster overhaul in the off-season.

Iverson is gone, Wallace is likely to leave, and McDyess is a question mark. It's Brown's option whether he will stay or not, but with a $4-million contract guaranteed, it's hard to see him finding that kind of deal elsewhere.

Walter Herrmann and Will Bynum are restricted free agents. It's hard to see Herrmann back, but it's the team's option on Bynum and he's expected to return.

As for coach Michael Curry, it appears he will return for a second season. He has two years left on the $2.5-million-a-year deal he signed last year.

Courtesy of http://www.freep.com

Bruised elbow won't stop Carmelo - by Eurobasket NewsCarmelo Anthony's (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) right-elbow contusion is 'just a nasty bruise,' according to trainer Jim Gillen, and Anthony said he will 'be ready to go' in tonight's Game 4 against the Hornets.

Anthony injured the elbow in Game 3 but played through the pain en route to 25 points. On Sunday, he received treatment, including ultrasound on his elbow, which was bruised on the radial head, Gillen said.

In New Orleans on Saturday night, two of the men under the most pressure met up for a beer. Nuggets coach George Karl is friends with PGA golfer Jerry Kelly, who entered Sunday leading the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana, outside of New Orleans.

Kelly went on to win the tournament Sunday.

The two became friends when Karl, who coached the Milwaukee Bucks, and Kelly, a Madison, Wis., native, would play in celebrity tournaments.

'I played with him in a celebrity thing, and it was for charity and there was a shoot-off,' Karl said. 'The shot was from the sand trap, about 40 yards away, and I was playing against him, Steve Stricker and another guy. Kelly's the last guy. Well, the first two guys went and hit it about 10 feet away, and then I hit it like 3 feet away. So I'm going to beat all the pros, and I'm talking trash. But then Kelly hit it in the hole.'

Hornets injury update.

Forward James Posey will play the remainder of the series trying not to aggravate a sprained right knee.

He suffered the injury in Game 3 and had an MRI on Sunday morning. He was cleared to play tonight.

Also, center Tyson Chandler remains hampered by an ankle injury.

'I can't cut the way I want to,' Chandler said. 'I can't sprint the way I want to. I can't even jump the way I want to. My timing is off. But the thing I can do is just make my presence felt out there.'

Time set.

The NBA announced that Wednesday's Game 5 at the Pepsi Center will be at 8:30 p.m. and televised on TNT.

Courtesy of www.denverpost.com

Bulls and Magic tie the score to 2-2, Turkoglu drains a triple with 1.1 seconds left - by Eurobasket NewsThe Chicago Bulls grabbed 121-118 double overtime win at the United Center last night. It means that the Bulls tied the score in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Celtics to 2-2. Derrick Rose (6'4''-G-88, college: Memphis) was a key player in this victory almost registering triple-double: 23 pts, 11 rebs and 9 as. Ben Gordon (6'2''-G-83, college: Connecticut) drained 22, while John Salmons (6'7''-F-79, college: Miami, FL) helped with 2 points less. It is important to mention that Gordon hit the tying 3-pointer in the first overtime. On the other side, Paul Pierce (6'7''-F-77, college: Kansas) top-scored in loss with 29 points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds beside that. Ray Allen (6'6''-G-75, college: Connecticut) nailed 28, while Rajon Rondo (6'1''-G-86, college: Kentucky) contributed with triple-double: 25 pts, 11 rebs and 11 as. Game number 5 is scheduled for April 28 in Boston.

The Orlando Magic celebrated 84-81 road win against the 76ers also tying the score in Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to 2-2. Hidayet Turkoglu (6'9''-F-79) was a game hero as he nailed a 3-pointer over Thaddeus Young with 1.1 seconds left. Hedo collected 17 pts in total. The same number also had Rashard Lewis (6'10''-F-79). Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) was the leading scorer of his team with 18 pts (also had 18 rebs). Andre Miller (6'3''-G-76, college: Utah) answered with 17 points in defeat. Fifth game will be played tomorrow in Orlando.

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NCAA1

Borovnjak Signs With NIT Champion, Penn State - by Eurobasket 6'9' Serbian forward, Sasa Borovnjak (6'9''-F) signed a National Letter of Intent to accept a basketball scholarship to Penn St., a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Belgrade native has been attending Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, NC for the last two years of his high school career. This year, Borovnjak averaged 26.1 ppg and 12.1 rbpg in leading the Warriors to a 6th place national finish in the NACA Division I National High School Championships. Borovnjak went for over 30 points 11 times this season including a 33 point 15 rebound performance against Oak Hill Academy who featured 6'11' Syracuse bound, Moussa Keita and 6'10' Oklahoma bound, Tiny Gallon. Borovnjak was one of three Veritas senior players who signed with NCAA Divison I schools. 6'10' center, Andrew Kyles will be attending the Citadel while 6'7' Colin Sekal will suit up for Wagner College. Borovnjak was also recruited by NC State, Marquette, College of Charleston, Wake Forest and several other top college programs.

Veritas head coach, John Jordan who has a long history of developing European players on the American high school level, then sending them to top American colleges, feels Borovnjak has the potential to step in and play immediately for the Nittany Lions who were this year's NIT Champions. 'Sasa is a thinking 4 man who can make plays. He can score in many different ways both with his back to the basket as well as facing the rim. He also sees the floor extremely well and has a knack for finding the open man. We felt Sasa fit the style that Coach DeChellis (Penn State Head Coach) likes to run. We also feel that based on his returning personnel, Sasa has a chance to step in and contribute as a freshman. Sasa has a dream to play professional ball like his brother (Dejan Borovnjak) once he earns his college degree, we felt the Big Ten conference would prepare him for that as well any conference in the country.' Said Jordan. Borovnjak represents the second European post in as many years to come out of the Veritas program. 7'2' Romanian, Catalin Baciu (7'2''-C-88) was a 2008 graduate of the program and just finished his freshman campaign at Clemson of the ACC.

Source boyshoopscout.com

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NEW ZEALAND

Marks fires in NBA Playoffs - by Eurobasket NewsNew Zealand centre Sean Marks (208-F-75, college: California) is being hailed for his impact as the New Orleans Hornets head into a crucial NBA playoff match against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

Marks put his stamp on game three, won by the Hornets 95-93 in New Orleans on Sunday, playing 26 minutes after starting centre Tyson Chandler got into early foul trouble.

It leaves the Hornets 2-1 down in the best-of-seven series but Marks was talking up his teams chances after having stood face-to-face with the aggressive Nuggets front court.

In his first two minutes on the court, he stole the ball from star Denver forward Kenyon Martin.

With his team down 22-6 midway through the first quarter, Marks rammed home three dunks that helped ignite a rally and finished with a career playoff-high eight points (3/5 FG, 2/3 FT), six rebounds and two blocks.

Marks also helped to hold Nuggets centre Nene to two points, his robust display drawing praise from All-Star team-mate and guard Chris Paul.

Sean came in and really changed the game for us, said Paul, who finished with a game-high 32 points.

Tyson picked up two quick fouls, and Sean played a lot more minutes than hes probably used to.

He started to get winded for a second, and I told him to push through. We went down 15 or 20 points, but those guys kept us in it.

In the first two playoff games, Marks had taken only three shots and scored four points, prompting veteran Nuggets coach George Karl to also single out the Aucklander.

In the first half, they got Marks down the middle, and the rest of the team was scoring, Karl said.

Marks was hungry for more of the same in front of his home supporters on Tuesday.

This is what you live for. We play 82 games for the post-season, he said.

You dont play 82 games to be home in the summer. Otherwise, it would be a complete waste of the season. This is the best part of the year, intensity and playoffs.

Its not like were saving anything for next week. This is it, and we know if we would have lost this game, no team has ever come back from 3-0. So you dont want to be in that situation. Its win or go home.

Courtesy of Basketball New Zealand

Breakers reach up with new signing - by Eurobasket NewsThe Breakers will add potentially the tallest man in professional New Zealand sport to their roster in Tall Blacks centre Alex Pledger (216-C-87).

The 22-year-old stands at a few millimetres over 2.13m (7 foot, 1in) and will return to New Zealand next month after a three-year scholarship with Bellmont Abbey College in North Carolina. He will sign with the Breakers as a development player.

Pledger, who has played five games for the Tall Blacks, will also suit up for the defending champion Waikato Pistons for the rest of this year's NBL.

Genuine seven-footers who can also play are few and far between in New Zealand basketball. Tony Rampton is the same height, but the 32-year-old Nelson Giants centre retired from the Tall Blacks last year to extend his club career. He started last season's ANBL with the Sydney Spirit before they withdrew from the league for financial reasons.

'He's a long seven-footer and quite athletic,' Breakers assistant and Waikato coach Dean Vickerman said of Pledger. 'He's a very good defensive rebounder and also has a good touch.

Along with Thomas Abercrombie and Corey Webster, Alex is a young guy who we believe can do some good things for both the Breakers and Tall Blacks over the next 10 years.'

Each team is required to fit development players into their squad and the Breakers intend having two - Pledger and Webster.

There is uncertainty over the makeup of the rest of their squad because of the overhaul of the ANBL.

Each team has had to re-apply for a spot in the league and meet certain criteria based largely on facilities and financial stability. A $1 million bank guarantee was a pre-requisite in the hope of avoiding more teams falling over as the Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets, Sydney Spirit, Victoria Giants and Canberra Cannons have over the past six years.

The Breakers assume they will be included in what is expected to be a nine-team league, which could be announced this week, but it has stalled their recruitment and retention.

CJ Bruton, Kirk Penney, Dillon Boucher, Oscar Forman and Abercrombie will return for next season, expected to start in October.

But until the club's position is confirmed and they know the points allocation for each player - players are rated from one to 10 and squads last season couldn't exceed 68 points - they can't sign with any certainty.

'We are in a bit of a holding pattern,' said Breakers general manager Richard Clarke.

'Hopefully by the end of next week we will know what's going on. We are keen to keep the majority of the team together but if the points remain at 68 it could be a bit difficult.'

The futures of veteran forward Tony Ronaldson, shooting guard Phill Jones and import Rick Rickert are the most uncertain.

Ronaldson, 36, is the most experienced player in the ANBL with more than 600 games, while Jones was named the league's best sixth man for 2008/09.

Clarke said he expected the points rating for both to increase next season, meaning it could be hard to fit them in, while Rickert didn't have the impact the Breakers hoped to get from their sole import.

'Big is a place that we thought we could get better,' Clarke said. 'We haven't decided whether we will have one or two imports so we will sign the local players first and then look to fill the gaps. We are in a pretty good place and [coach] Andrej Lemanis has just got back from [a coaching and scouting mission in] the US so has an idea of what's available.'

Pledger will join the Pistons in early May after his college exams.

'He's a young guy with immense potential,' said Waikato chief executive John Davey. 'He was identified early on as a potential Tall Black. . He hasn't yet been exposed to the NBL and is a little bit raw and will need to find his feet. But he certainly gives us an advantage with that height and he has got quite a nice shooting touch, too.'

Courtesy of www.nzherald.co.nz

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NORWAY

Kombat goes West - by Kaare VangenMiilah Kombat (200-F-88, college: N.Idaho JC) will play for Froya in the BLNO next season. Froya announced on April 20th that Miilah Kombat will play for them the upcoming season. Kombat will be a very valuable addition to a young and talented team that won Div 1 with an average age of 17.7 years. He finished a good season in Ammerud with being named 'Talent of the Year' and picked for BLNO All Star Team by the BLNO coaches. Froya got a spot in BLNO on April 24th and also won the national U18 championship for men yesterday. A good week for Froya!

U18 national championship - by Kaare VangenThe finals in the U18 national championship were played in Baerum in the weekend. The tournament was dominated by teams from Bergen. Two of them, Froya and Gimle, met in the final. Gimle won a week ago in the final in Hansa Cup but this time there was no doubt - Froya won 92-60. Karamo Jawaro dominated big for Froya in the preliminary games but was put closer to the basket togehter with Victor Schonning in the semifinal and 93-players Sindre de Lange, Remy and Adrian Schonning took care of running the backcourt. Much of the same recipe was used in the final. Froya got an early lead, built on it and could cruise all the way to a well-deserved victory.

Sol and Libertad win again - by Gianni PascucciIn Round 4 of the 'Top 4 Tournment', Libertad and Sol de America won again, and this could mean the ticket for the following phase of the competition, a triangular tournment. Libertad defeated 85-80 Deportivo San Jose, with Bruno Zanotti (197-F-82, agency: Megasport, college: Merrimack) leading the way at 34 points and Carlos Jorge Riveros (190-G-85) scoring 23 pts in losing effort. At his side, Sol de America answered beating FPC 89-76, with Guillermo Araujo (204-C-82) scoring 26 points and Jamaal Levy (206-C/F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wake Forest) 19, and Diego Romero (209-C-82, college: Florida St.) answering with 31 pts. The standings are now as follows: 1. Sol de America 4-0 2. Libertad 3-13. San Jose 2-24. FPC 0-4

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PBL

Terry Sare and Rod Baker are PBL Co-Coaches of the Year - by Eurobasket NewsThe Premier Basketball League announced on Friday that Battle Creek Knights head coach Terry Sare and the Rochester RazorSharks' Rod Baker as PBL Co-Coaches of the Year.

Sare joined the Knights staff in 2007 and has been a fixture on the sidelines for Battle Creek ever since.

The Knights finished the regular season with a record of 18-2, best in the PBL, and won the Central Division crown for the Knights.

Sare was then able to lead his team to victory over the the Wilmington Sea Dawgs to advance to the PBL Championship before losing to Rochester.

Baker led the RazorSharks to a 17-3 regular season record and an Eastern Division title.

'Both Terry and Rod are well deserving recipients of the PBL Coach of the Year,' said PBL President Tom Doyle.

'Terry and the Knights had the best regular season record and Rod and the RazorSharks won the Championship. Both coaches are worthy of the success they had this season and this award is a testament to that.'

Courtesy of www.battlecreekenquirer.com

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PHILIPPINES

JAPETH LIVES UP TO HIS BILLINGS AS RP TEAM-GILAS RIPS VEGAS FIVE - by Benny LirioJapeth Aguilar (206-C) gave Smart Gilas Pilipinas national team a big lift against the Las Vegas Aces as the national developmental team scored a 108-98 win, its second-straight in its 10-day, six-game Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas PLDT Training Camp at the Impact Facilities in Las Vegas, Nevada.The former Ateneo center finished with 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks in his debut for the team of Serbian coach Rajko Toroman, who was impressed with the performance of the ex-Western Kentucky University campaigner.Japeth was impressive considering he has not practiced with the team. He will be a great addition to the national team, said Toroman through SBP executive director Noli Eala.The six-foot-10 Aguilar, who is reportedly being eyed by coach Yeng Guiao for the Philippine Basketball Association-backed national squad, provided the inside strength for the team as import CJ Giles sat out the game to rest a hyperextended right thumb he incurred in practice.It was the teams second-straight victory after losing, 105-92, its first outing against the Antoine Walker-led Impact All-Stars in its first exhibition match in the camp. Giles had 15 points and nine rebounds in his first game for Smart Gilas.But the Filipino dribblers, behind the 25 points of Chris Tiu and 19 points of Giles, bounced back in their rematch and pulled off a surprising 128-122 victory.Toromans boys started slow against the Nevada All-Stars team, trailing early by 15, 18-3. But they got their rhythm back in the second period and used a 10-0 run to trim their deficit to 51-49 entering the second half.They continued their strong showing in the third quarter and erected their biggest lead at 94-78 with a little over four minutes left in the game.Five players scored in double figures as Toroman used all his 14 players. Dylan Ababou led the Nationals with 20 points, while Barroca and Tiu chipped in 18 and 16 markers, respectively. Greg Slaughter contributed 12 points.The team is definitely still learning. We played a team with strong individual skills and we cant afford to start slow, said Toroman. Its a young team and there is a tendency to sometimes be awed and intimidated by bigger opponents. BUSINESS MIRROR/Orellana

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POLAND

PLK Round: 4 (Semi-Finals) - by Eurobasket NewsEn.Czarni - PGE Turow 93-71Energa Czarni scored a comfortable home win over Turow to draw things level in the series. Marcin Sroka (199-F-81, agency: Promotex) came up with 22 points to pace the Slupsk team to the second success. Demetric Bennett had 16 points in the victory. Robert Witka responded with 14 points, 8 boards and 3 assists in the fiasco.

Anwil - Asec.Prokom 95-90Anwil tied the series against Prokom claiming the second home win in a row. Lukasz Koszarek (187-G-84) tallied 26 points, 10 assists and 6 boards to lead Anwil. Paul Miller provided 19 points and 8 boards in the winning case. Qyntel Woods had 35 points, 6 boards and 3 assists for Prokom in the loss.

Captains squeeze past Lions - by Luis RamirezPlaying without the services of Marcus Fizer due to injury the Arecibo Captains had help from David Cortes (190-G/F-81) to beat the Lions 75-73. Cortes went on to score 23 points in the game to lead all scorers. The Captains took the lead in the very first quarter 19-18. The game was close all thru out the half as it ended with the Captains leading 38-35. During this 1st half Lions Center Nigel Dixon grabbed 13 rebounds dominating the paint , but in the 2nd half Dixon was held to just 6 rebounds as the Captains made their adjustments.

In the 2nd half the Lions were able to take a brief lead but with double technicals which involved players Lee Nailon and Angel Figueroa, the momentum once again shifted to the Captains who held on for the win.For Arecibo, David Cortes had a total of 23 points followed by Wilfredo Pagan with 18 points. For Ponce it was Ricardo Melendez with 17 points followed by Nigel Dixon with 16 points and a total of 19 rebounds.

Over at Quebradillas the Pirates beat the Mayaguez Indians 81-73. For the Pirates, Joel Jones Camacho scored 19 points followed by Shawn Redhage with 17 points. For the Indians it was James Maye with 24 point followed by Dan Langhi with 17 points.

In the last game of the night, the Carolina Giants kept the Guaynabo Conquistadors winless as they beat Guaynabo 127-115. For the Giants it was Alejandro Carmona with 38 points followed by Ebi Ere with 26 points. For Guaynabo, Gabriel Mouneke scored 32 points while Carlos Escalera scored 26 points. It is worth mentioning that Carolina was able to make 14 three pointers in the game.

BSN - Last games (Saturday and Sunday) - by Eurobasket NewsArecibo - Ponce 75-73Arecibo escaped with 75-73 win against Ponce jumping to 3-2 record (same as Quebradillas, 2nd/3rd place). David Cortes (190-G/F-81) was a key player in victory collecting 23 points and 5 rebounds. Wilfredo Pagan followed him with 18, while Angel Figueroa delivered 13 pts. Nigel Dixon responded with double-double in loss, 16 points and 19 boards.

Mayaguez - Quebradillas 73-813-2 for Quebradillas and 2-3 for Mayaguez after this game. Joel Jones (196-G/F-81, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Sacramento St.) top-scored for the winners with 19 points, Shawn Redhage had 17 and David Huertas delivered one point less. James Maye answered with 24 points and 8 boards in loss.

Quebradillas - Arecibo 85-90In other BSN action, the Arecibo Captains outdueled the Quebradillas Pirates 90-85. Although the Pirates took the 1st quarter 20-18, the Captains came right back in the 2nd quarter to end the half leading by 9 points, 44-35. In the 2nd half the Pirates kept pace with the Captains but the damage done in the 2nd quarter was too much to overcome for the Pirates in the 2nd half of the game. For Arecibo who is playing without import player Marcus Fizer (203-F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Iowa St.), got 15 points from Angel Figueroa followed by Christopher Vega and Carlos Rivera who both scored 13 points. *More comments for this game already posted in the previous news by the local correspondent Luis Ramirez

Caguas - San German 87-91In the final game of the night (Saturday), it was the San German Athletics who would finally play in their home court and did not disappoint their home crowd as the Athletics beat the Caguas Criollos 91-87. The San German Arena was undergoing some reconstruction and this had kept the Athletics from playing as the home team until last night. The Athletics came out on fire as they scored 27 points in the 1st quarter while the Criollos would go on to score 16 points. At the half the Athletics were leading 39-34. The Criollos would not go gently into the night, as they came back in the 3rd quarter to reclaims the lead 61-59. It came down to the last period of play as the Athletics were able to come back for the win. For San German Jesse Pellot-Rosa (193-G-84, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Va Commonwealth) scored 27 points *More comments for this game already posted in the previous news by the local correspondent Luis Ramirez

Bayamon - Humacao 88-79The Bayamon Cowboys are sitting at the top of the standings and they are looking invincible. They beat the Humacao Grays last night 88-79. The game started out with the Grays taking the 1st quarter 23-22. The Cowboys kept pace with the Grays and in the 1st half it was all tied at 39 points. In the 2nd half the Cowboys went on fire and played some good defense to take a 10 point lead as the 3rd quarter ended 66-56 in favor of the Cowboys. The Grays tried to make a comeback in the 4th quarter but the Cowboys would not have any part of that. Christian Dalmau (194-G-77, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Daytona Beach CC) led the Cowboys with 23 points and 10 assists for a double-double *More comments for this game already posted in the previous news by the local correspondent Luis Ramirez

Borovnjak Signs With NIT Champion, Penn State - by Eurobasket 6'9' Serbian forward, Sasa Borovnjak (6'9''-F) signed a National Letter of Intent to accept a basketball scholarship to Penn St., a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Belgrade native has been attending Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, NC for the last two years of his high school career. This year, Borovnjak averaged 26.1 ppg and 12.1 rbpg in leading the Warriors to a 6th place national finish in the NACA Division I National High School Championships. Borovnjak went for over 30 points 11 times this season including a 33 point 15 rebound performance against Oak Hill Academy who featured 6'11' Syracuse bound, Moussa Keita and 6'10' Oklahoma bound, Tiny Gallon. Borovnjak was one of three Veritas senior players who signed with NCAA Divison I schools. 6'10' center, Andrew Kyles will be attending the Citadel while 6'7' Colin Sekal will suit up for Wagner College. Borovnjak was also recruited by NC State, Marquette, College of Charleston, Wake Forest and several other top college programs.

Veritas head coach, John Jordan who has a long history of developing European players on the American high school level, then sending them to top American colleges, feels Borovnjak has the potential to step in and play immediately for the Nittany Lions who were this year's NIT Champions. 'Sasa is a thinking 4 man who can make plays. He can score in many different ways both with his back to the basket as well as facing the rim. He also sees the floor extremely well and has a knack for finding the open man. We felt Sasa fit the style that Coach DeChellis (Penn State Head Coach) likes to run. We also feel that based on his returning personnel, Sasa has a chance to step in and contribute as a freshman. Sasa has a dream to play professional ball like his brother (Dejan Borovnjak) once he earns his college degree, we felt the Big Ten conference would prepare him for that as well any conference in the country.' Said Jordan. Borovnjak represents the second European post in as many years to come out of the Veritas program. 7'2' Romanian, Catalin Baciu (7'2''-C-88) was a 2008 graduate of the program and just finished his freshman campaign at Clemson of the ACC.

Source boyshoopscout.com

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SLOVAKIA

Pezinok and Nitra scrape through into Final - by Eurobasket NewsPezinok and Nitra finally appeared where they were forecasted to Extraliga championship series. The path was not easy though. Both Pezinok and Nitra had to play four games in the semis to ensure the birth in the Final. Pezinok defeated Nova Ves 85:78 on the road in the fourth game of the series to reach the title series. The regular season champions finally looked solid and unstoppable as they dominated from start to finish. Pezinok built a 14-point lead at the interval and continued their onslaught after the major break. The margin grew at 23 points before the fourth quarter and the outcome was pretty clear at the moment. Pezinok allowed the hosts to trim the margin but it never influenced the final result as Pezinok advanced into the Final. Andrej Lukjanec (203-F/C-69) fired 32 points to pace Pezinok. Kevin Houston (193-G/F-76, college: St.Bonaventure) added 15 points for the winners. Robert Nuber (186-G-83) answered with 14 points, 7 boards and 6 assists for Nova Ves. In the meantime Nitra had to survive dramatic final minutes of their game against Prievidza to secure the so needed third victory. Prievidza faced a must-win situation before the game but could not stay in the series coming up just short at the end. Eugene Lawrence (185-G-86, college: St.John's) nailed 20 points to pace Nitra to the final. Lubos Pohanka (190-G-77) added 13 points for the winners. Pavel Bosak (192-G-82) had 26 points but missed a potential winning shot late in regulation. So the final series is scheduled to tip off on May 2 when Pezinok host Nitra.

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SOUTH KOREA

KBL Round: 5 (Finals) - by Eurobasket NewsSamsung Th. - KCC Egis 75-73Samsung stayed alive in the Final series over KCC Egis defeating them 75:73 in Game 5. Samsung reduced the series to 2-3 in the best-of-seven Final clash. Leather Terrence (204-C-81, college: S.Florida) paced all the winners with 28 points, while Haynes Aaron netted 17. Brand Micah (210-C-80, college: Massachusetts) ended up with 30 points in the losing effort.

Former Star Guard to Head Promy - by Rick RossKang Dong-hee has been appointed as the new head coach of the Dongbu Promy.I feel a sense of responsibility for taking this important jobKang said in a press conference in Seoul, Monday.The former star point guard has worked for the Wonju-based team as coach since 2005.I am sure that Kang will lead the Promy well,Promy general manager Sung In-wan said during the conference.Kang, 42, whose annual salary will be 260 million won ($193,000)will lead the three-time Korean Basketball League (KBL) champion for three years. The boss was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP)during the KBL maiden season in 1997 and was selected for the All-Star team five times.He also led the league in assists three times and made the best-five team for six consecutive years.Kang, who played for the national team from 1987 to 1999, averaged 11.13 points, 6.55 assists and 1.7 steals over eight seasons.Outgoing coach Chun Chang-jin, who had headed the team for seven years, took over this season's KBL bottom dogs KTF MagicWings on Friday.By Kim Jae-wonStaff Reporter

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SUDAN

UConn's Majok declares for NBA Draft - by Eurobasket NewsAter Majok, a freshman forward who UConn expects to be cleared to play at the conclusion of the first semester next season, will enter the NBA draft, the school announced Thursday. But because he will not hire an agent, Majok still could still elect return to UConn and play for the Huskies in 2009-10.

Ater Majok declared for the NBA draft Thursday, but don't expect his UConn career to be over before it even began.

Majok, a freshman forward who will be cleared to play following the first semester next season, will not hire an agent and, in a statement released by the school, said he expects to play for the Huskies in 2009-10.

'After meeting with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to enter the NBA draft,' Majok said. 'I feel it will help me to test the process and get feedback on my strengths and weaknesses. It will allow me to get a better idea of what areas in my game need improvement and make me a better player in the future. I will not be hiring an agent and I enter this process with the full intention of assessing my abilities and returning to Connecticut in 2009-10.'

Starting next season, underclassmen who declare for the draft must decide whether to pull out by May 8. The current deadline is 10 days before the draft June 15 this year. So Majok testing the waters this offseason enables a closer examination of his skills.

'In view of the upcoming rule changes for underclassmen, this is an opportunity for Ater to see where he currently fits into what I believe will be a future in professional basketball,' UConn coach Jim Calhoun said in the statement. 'I respect that Ater understands that this decision is about more than just him and that he has, and will continue to, involve his immediate family in this process as it goes forward.'

Calhoun was not available for further comment.

Majok, a 6-foot-10 forward from Sudan expected to be among UConn's best players next season, made a commitment to the school in April 2008 and enrolled for this spring semester after a long examination of his transcript by the NCAA. He spent time as a youth at a refugee camp in Egypt to escape civil war-torn Sudan before attending school in Australia. He comes from a dire financial background and is under more pressure than most American players to show he can provide a living for his parents and siblings.

A source close to the family said Thursday that Majok's family had even suggested Majok consider doing away with plans to attend UConn and play professionally in Australia. Majok's name was in the news a month ago when espn.com reported Josh Nochimson, the decertified agent at the center of the NCAA's investigation into alleged recruiting improprieties by UConn, had helped arrange for Majok to play in an All-Star game in Kentucky.

That, the source said, is not the impetus for the decision announced Thursday. It has only to do with making sure he's setting himself up for a stable financial future.

'He has a great obligation to his family and he wants to show that he's trying to help the family situation,' the source said. 'He's a kid, the eldest son, who is at least showing he will be able to help.'

Majok, 21, might not even work out for NBA teams in the coming weeks. It is highly unlikely he will be selected in the draft lottery perhaps the only situation that could lure him from UConn. But entering the draft does show his family and an entire Sudanese community that he is exploring every option.

'He just wants to do what is best for his family,' the source said. 'He's showing that he's trying to go into the NBA.'

Courtesy of www.courant.com

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SWEDEN

Swedish league awards - by Andreas ErikssonThe official awards from the Swedish Basketliga has been announced. This are the official awards, and not Eurobasket.com's awards.

Wesby shines in Sundsvalls' victory - by Antonio MatekSundsvall Dragons- Solna Vikings 74-64(16-17, 22-20, 16-17, 20-10)Sundsvall Dragons managed to tie the series (2-2) as they finished strong in the fourth quarter against Solna Vikings. Alex Wesby (196-G-80, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Temple) was the star of the game as he poured in 29 points in front of their enthusiastic supporters. 2264 people attended the exciting game at Sundsvalls Sporthall, as the teams switched leads through the entire contest. Sundsvall's Liam Rush (203-F/G-82) contributed with 12 second-half points, while adding 6 assists to his stats, and Doug Thomas (203-F-83, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Iowa) put up a strong double-double (11 pts, 11 reb). Jonte Flowers (196-G, college: Winona St.) and Martin Pahlmblad (193-G-86) each scored 14 points for the guests, and Saulius Dumbliauskas (202-C-81, agency: Court Side, college: St.Bonaventure) reached a fine double double, scoring 12 and grabbing 12 rebounds. Also noteable is Juha Sten (191-G-83, agency: Rasmussen Services)'s performance, as the league's defender of the year contributed with 4 steals, while dishing out a game high 8 assists.The first quarter of game 4 was tight from first to last possession. Solna went to the first short break with a 16-17 advantage, after hitting 3 straight three-pointers in the beginning. None of the players that played during the first 10 minutes stood out in the statistical columns. An interesting aspect is that the guests only managed to make one out of seven two-point shots. Solna made their first shot early in Q2, but the Dragons fought back, and managed to pull of a 7-0 run before the Vikings coach decided to take a time-out. Results were given as the team nailed four shots behind the arc during a four minute stretch and the scoreboard showed a 25-32 advantage for the reigning champions. The home crowd began to fear that their team would not be able to stop the opponents hot shooters, but their team would not disappoint them as they made another run, 9-0. The teams went to the half time break as Sundsvall kept the lead 38-37. Solna put up a strong shooting perfomance, making 7 out of 14 attemps behind the arc. Wesby was the only player to reach double figures with 16 points. Dumbliauskas played well for visitors, grabbing 9 rebounds. The game continued with the lead changing during the first six minutes, with Wesby hitting shots from tough spots. Meanwhile, Solna seemed to loose focus, until Flowers and Mats Levin made back-to-back treys, giving Solna a 50-54 lead. Then again, Sundsvall finished the third quarter strong, scoring the four last points, as the teams went to the second short break tied at 54-54.Just like the earlier three quarters of the game, both teams remain close, switching leads and fighting for every single point. After a dunk from Pahlmblad with 6:23 left of the fourth quarter, tying the contest 64-64, not to many viewers thought that this would be Solna's last point in this game. The home team finished of the game strongly, keeping the ball under control, while their visitors took bad shots. They missed their last 9 three-point attempts. Sundsvall cruised to a 10-point victory. Next game will be at Solnahallen, Monday 27th of April.

It was a great year , new teams got their feet wet , veteran teams showed they still have what it takes to win at the pro level.....and now its time to introduce the guys who brought their 'A' game every single night this year for their teams. Here is the ALL TPBL TEAM for 2009 : CHAUNCEY EPHRAIM G/F (midland heat) 25 ppg , TYREE JACKSON G(cypress synergy) 22ppg / 7 apg, DEMETRIUS BAILEY G (houston pts) 15 ppg / 12 apg, DATHAN JONES G (san angelo chaparrals) 17ppg / 4 steals per game, DEE HUDSON G( west texas storm - Lubbock/snyder) 26 ppg/ 5 apg. 'THANK YOU VERY MUCH GUYS FOR YOUR HARD WORK, GREAT INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM ATTITUDES. YOU ARE WHAT MAKE THE TPBL WHAT IT IS TODAY. NO LEAGUE COMPARES TO OURS BECAUSE OF YOU.' chris cardenas tpbl league owner.2nd team : SHAWN WILLIAMS (midland heat) , MATT FAMBRO (west texas storm), CALVIN ANDERSON (san angelo chaparrals), TURO ZUNIGA(houston pts), LARRY ALLAWAY (cypress synergy)

2009 TPBL CHAMPIONS : SAN ANGELO CHAPARRALS - by Chris CardenasCHAMPIONSHIP SERIES : Texas we have a new champion ! The San Angelo Chaparrals of San Angelo,Tx will be celebrating their 4th TPBL title in 9yrs after winning the TPBL series 2 games to 0 over the Midland Heat (Midland,tx). TPBL league owner chris cardenas ' it was a long and great year! we had a couple of new teams that on any given night could beat anyone. Thats what this league is all about though. If you dont bring your 'A' game every night you can lose and lose big. Many players this year stepped up and showed they are ready to play anywhere in the country with the best of them. Im proud of all the teams for hanging in and making it an awesome year. THANK YOU !! 'we here at the TPBL hope there are some new teams wanting to join for the 2010 season, you'll love the competition, and make great new friends in the process. if so you can call 325-763-6630 for a league packet or email league owner chris cardenas : cardenas_chris@yahoo.com

Besiktas - Erdemir 99-7716-12 for Besiktas and 12-16 for Erdemir after this game. Jimmy Baxter (198-G-80, college: S.Florida) was the most important player in victory collecting 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Mire Chatman followed with 20 pts and 8 rebs. Antwain Barbour responded with 26 pts in defeat.

Tim Duncan Day proclaimed in USVI - by David EdoleST THOMAS, USVI -- Governor John de Jongh has proclaimed April 25, 2009, as Timothy Theodore Duncan Day in the US Virgin Islands. World famous basketball player Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest) was born on the island of St Croix to the late William and Delysia Duncan.

He received his early education at St Marys Catholic School and graduated from St Dunstans Episcopal School on St Croix in 1993. Duncan attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina graduating with a Bachelors Degree in May 1997. In 1994, the Legislature of the US Virgin Islands honored Duncan for his outstanding performance on the Wake Forest Basketball Team. Then in 1996, he was honored once again when the St Croix Educational Complex Gymnasium was named in his honor.

US Virgin Islanders are excited about Duncans accomplishments, which have placed the Territory in the limelight with his outstanding national basketball performances with the San Antonio Spurs.

By opting to finish his college education instead of joining the National Basketball Association draft in his senior year of college, Duncan has set an example for all young people to emulate and gives Virgin Islanders a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Duncans college jersey was retired at the last 1997 home game of the Demon Deacons as a tribute to Tims remarkable performance during his entire college career.

In March 1997, the Virgin Islands Medal of Honor was bestowed on this St Croix native and All-American center for his outstanding performances as an athlete and a scholar as well as for the honor he has brought the Territory, especially St Croix.

Timothy Theodore Duncan continues his outstanding performance with the San Antonio Spurs.

The United Basketball League is going in its fifth week of play and the games are just outstanding. Every UBL Team has what it takes to win the UBL Championship. The Springfield Thrill are 4-0, Oklahoma Impact 2-1, Arkansas Warriors 1-2, Texas Wranglers 1-3 and Tulsa Tornadoes 0-2. The UBL players are coached by great coaches and they can play the game of basketball. Please visit our site at www.ublhoops.com.

USBA To Host An Open House In All Team Cities For Special Guest - by USBA MediaFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USBA To Host Open House In All Team Cities For Special Guest

The United States Basketball Association is pleased to announce their season opening Open Houses. The Open Houses will take place at the home gymnasiums of each individual team.

Churches, civic groups and fans of each team are invited to come and get autographs, take pictures with the team and get to know the players who will be representing each individual city. A special invitation has been extended to the Boys and Girls Clubs as well as Big Brothers and Big Sisters organizations. We are also extending a very special invitation to foster children in each city.

The Open Houses will take place starting Saturday May 2nd through Tuesday May 8th from 2-7 pm with refreshments such as hot dogs, soft drinks, chips and other snacks being provided free of charge by Coca-Cola.

USBA president Duane Jenkins says, This is an opportunity for us to get to know our fans and supporters in each city. We want our fans to be able to have autographs signed and quite simply, to be able to talk to the players on a more personal level.

The league will make season ticket packages available. The open house will mark the final week of availability of the 2009 USBA Season Ticket Extravaganza. This season ticket promotion is a special event for the fans and is sponsored by the advertisers and sponsors of the USBA. The league has set aside 1200 single season tickets for this promotion. This collaborated effort includes the USBA, the USBA Youth Outreach, Inc and many of the leagues partners, sponsors and advertisers, said Jenkins.

The league has set the price of $85.00 per season ticket and comes with admission to all ten home games and fifteen free single game tickets; this includes admittance to all home playoff games. As a bonus, fans receive priority seating, complimentary concessions, a free game day program and a 24x36 full color poster with the basketball team and dance team. (The total number of admittance per season ticket is 25, which breaks down to $3.30 per admittance)

According to the league, each season ticket holder will be automatically included in a raffle sponsored by the USBA Youth Outreach, Inc. Were very excited about this promotion. Not only do fans get a chance to see high quality basketball at affordable prices, but there is the chance to win a new car, a trip to see an NBA game and to go on a Disney World vacation.

The prize list is as follows:

* Grand Prize: 2009 Lincoln Mercury Grand Marquis LS(one automobile and a $40.00 Quik Trip, BP or RaceTrac weekly gas card for one year, will be given away in each USBA team city, 10 total league wide),

* 2nd Prize: Disney World Family Vacation(Family of four, rt airfare on Delta Airlines, transfers to and from the airport, daily Disney World Park passes, meals and lodging at a Disney World theme park hotel included, two given away in each USBA team city, 20 total league wide),

* 3rd prize: The NBA Extravaganza ( Trip for two to an NBA game, round trip airfare on Delta Airlines, overnight stay at Marriott Hotel, one day car rental from Enterprise, dinner for two at Outback Steak House and breakfast for two at International House of Pancakes, two given away in each USBA team city, 20 total league wide.)

* 4th Prize: The Trek Bicycle Explosion (Six mens, six womens, six boys and six girls ten speed bicycles, 24 given away at each USBA team city, 240 total league wide)

* 5th Prize: The Outback Steak House Family Feast (A $60.00 gift card, 25 given away in each USBA team city, 250 total league wide)

* 6th Prize: Russell Athletic Team Polo Shirts (25 shirts will be given away in each USBA team city, 250 total league wide)

All drawings for this promotion will be held at halftime of the teams home season opener. As far as we know, this is the biggest and most extravagant season ticket promotion in the history of minor league sports. says Jenkins. Fans can visit our website at www.usbaball.com for rules and disclaimers about the raffle and the United States Basketball Association. We plan to begin our first season with a bang. All of our games will be geared toward top notched basketball competition, family fun and entertainment surrounded in a faith based environment, our goal is to offer each community a great experience proclaimed, Mr. Jenkins. For more information, call the USBA league office at (770) 899-6388 or go to www.usbaball.com.

2009 USBA Season Ticket Extravaganza Rules and Disclaimer:Purchase of a season ticket to any 2009 USBA team necessary to be included in the raffle drawing. The USBA Youth Outreach, Inc., is the sponsor of this promotion. This promotion is open to all residents of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina who purchase a season ticket during this promotion. Promotion ends May 30, 2009 at midnight Eastern Daylight Time. USBA employees, family member of USBA employees, team members, Season Ticket Extravaganza sponsors, their employees and their families are ineligible to participate in this promotion. Participants must be at least 18 years old to participate in this promotion. One entry in raffle per season ticket purchased. No other restrictions apply. No substitution of prizes. Prizes are not refundable or transferable. Prize winners are responsible for all taxes and /or gratuity associated with prizes won in this promotion. Odds of winning any prize in this promotion will be determined in direct relation of the number of season tickets sold during this promotion. (Example: 1200 season tickets sold per USBA team season, Grand Prize winning odds are 1200 to 1, 2nd prize winning odds are 600 to 1, 3rd Prize winning odds are 600 to 1, 4th Prize winning odds are 50 to 1, each, 5th prize winning odds are 48 to 1, 6th Prize winning odds are 48 to 1. The USBA has set aside 1200 season tickets per USBA team city to be sold, a total 12,000 league wide. Odds of winning a prize in this promotion are derived on a per city basis only. If the same individual purchases two season tickets for the 2009 basketball season and before May 3, 2009 the odds will increase to give the ticket holder double the chance of winning a prize. This promotion is a USBA Youth Outreach sponsored event. The USBA Youth Outreach, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) not for Profit Company. Single ticket purchases are not included in this promotion. 2nd and 3rd Prizewinners must make travel reservation through the USBA. Travel blackout periods may effect certain travel dates. All NBA games must be east of the Mississippi River and in the Continental United States. Grand prizewinners have a choice of color. There is no time limit for any of the travel prizes, gift card or any other prize in this promotion. Promotion is void where prohibited by law.--30

Media contact information:

Chris Munson: Director of CommunicationsUnited States Basketball Association904-619-6513 or chris.munson8@gmail.com

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Gigantes de Guayana surprised Trotamundos de Carabobo and La Guaira BBC completed an astonishing sweep over Gaiteros del Zulia to extender their loosing streak, both important victories in their quest to get back to the playoffs positions in the LPB 2009 standings.

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Guaiqueries de Margarita surprised Gaiteros del Zulia in Maracaibo for their seventh straight defeat, while Marinos de Anzoategui completed a sweep over Cocodrilos de Caracas. Trotamundos de Carabobo had no problems against Panteras de Miranda, Guaros de Lara required extra time to take down La Guaira BBC and Toros de Aragua beat Gigantes de Guayana in a clash for the playoff spots.

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- The strong performance of Diego Guevara allowed Marinos de Anzoategui to come back in the last quarter and defeat Cocodrilos de Caracas in the first of a two-game series in Puerto La Cruz.

WBA Exposure League 2009 Tryout Camp was a Smashing Success - by David Archer

ATLANTA, GA, April 27, 2009 The WBA Exposure League held open tryouts on April 17-18 at Agnes Scott College in Decatur GA. The event was a huge success attracting talented Pro-Ball hopefuls from origins near and far, all determined to show the WBA whose game was best.

Friday April 17th at 9am, over 100 Aspiring Pro-Ballers entered the Agnes Scott College Gymnasium for registration. With both excitement and anticipation in their eyes the players eagerly lined up and awaited their team assignments and jersey numbers. True to his mission of teaching and developing players, WBA founder and owner of the Buford Majic Leroy McMath along with Commissioner and former Manager/Coach of the Year, Lionel Garret gave an introduction of the WBA, its benefits and potential exposure.

Following the introduction GM and Head Coach of the Decatur Court Kings Reggie Fox along with Commissioner Garret, lead the players in warm-ups/drills. The warm-ups consisted of Body Stretching, Exhausting Suicides, By the Book Lay-ups and Astonishingly Accurate Free Throws. During warm-ups it was easy to see that these men came to play, a fact that became even more evident as the games began.

When the buzzer went off and the games began, each player tried their best to demonstrate their abilities on the court. Stamina, form, accuracy of shots and the ability to operate as part of a team were just a few of the skills looked for by Coach Fox. The teams moved up and down the court each trying their best to shine. Pro Ball handling skills, fade-away 3-pointers and two handed dunks were just a few of the feachered moves. One player whose skills completely overshadowed his frame was Alice Lloyd Colleges, William Dillard (5'8''-G). The 58, 155lb point guard showed an exceptional ability to lead his team and put points on the board However the Tryout Camps Most Outstanding Player was 67, 202lb Bennie Lewis (6'7''-G/F) of Benedict College.

The following day brought new tryout games, with Coach Fox closely examining and taking notes. At the end of the event, the coaches and staff had gathered a significant amount of information and were ready to consider their draft picks, but not before one of the WBA hopefuls wowed the crowed at in the Agnes Scott gym by shattering the backboard following a powerful dunk!The 2009 WBA Exposure League Team Assignments are as follows:

The WBA Exposure League is meant to teach, develop, and expose basketball players to the NBA, D-League, CBA, and International Scouts, while providing each community with an exciting brand of basketball and entertainment. My vision is also for the WBA to be a liaison to the Pro-Leagues and to let coaches and players know that there is life beyond college basketball even if youre not drafted into the NBA exclaimed Mr. McMath. The exciting 2009 playing season jumps off May 23rd.

See the official WBA Exposure League website [www.wbaball.net]for game locations, time and ticketing information. Media inquires contact Trea Davenport at 678.523.3088, for general WBA info contact the WBA office at 770.904.5081.

Flying Foxes dominant in AWBL Final - by Eurobasket NewsFlying Foxes took a 2-0 lead over Wels in the AWBL Final series. The defending champions claimed victories in the opening home games and now look forward to sweep the series on the road. The first game of the finals turned into a real basketball marathon as the teams needed to play an extra period to decide on the winner. Flying Foxes seemed to take control after they won the opening stanza 29:17 but Wels responded midway through the game. Victoria Crawford (170-G-83, college: Memphis) and Kisha Lee (181-F/C-85, college: UNLV) teamed up to ensure Wels ambitions as the visitors entered the fourth quarter ahead by 5 points. Crista Ricketts (185-F-85, college: La Salle) however was unstoppable on the night as she helped the hosts to force overtime. Flying Foxes used all of their experience to eke out a tough victory at the end. Crista Ricketts finished with game-high 28 points, while Martina Remler (185-F/C-75) provided 19 points for the winning team. Victoria Crawford and Kisha Lee had 20 points apiece for Wels. The second game was a different story though. This time Wels rushed into the encounter grabbing a 17:14 advantage after ten minutes. But the reigning champions did not panic and gradually turned the battle in their favor. Crista Ricketts orchestrated the show once again as she piloted the home side to a 9-point lead with a quarter to go. Wels failed to recover falling short for the second straight time. Crista Ricketts stepped up for Flying Foxes with 32 points. Martina Remler provided 16 points in the win. Victoria Crawford managed 17 points for Wels in defeat.

Gospic CO grabbed the first win in Croatian play-off final. The hosts had many troubles at the beginning as the reigning champion had couple of players on fire. The team from Sibenik drained 47 points in the first half, what was too much for Gospic, who had just 30. After the breather Marianna Raguz (180-G/F-75) and her teammates jumped to plus 19, what was the biggest Jolly's lead in this game. Soon after that the host totally took control on their rivals. Jelena Ivezic (184-G-84) started to make shots and National Cup MVP Anda Jelavic (175-G-80) joined her. Gospic nailed 26 points in third quarter coming to 56-59. Very soon the score was tied, 65-65. During the following few minutes Gospic created 10-3 run setting the score to 75-68, what was unreachable for Jolly JBS until the end. Actually visitors threatened later cutting the margin to 75-72, but Marija Vrsaljko (195-C-89) made it from the pant resolving question about the winner. Jelena Ivezic led the scorers in victory with 25 points. Anda Jelavic had 18 and Marija Vrsaljko netted 2 points less. Marianna Raguz responded with 18 pts in defeat. Ivana Jurcevic (174-G-81), Constance Jinks (170-G-81, college: UNLV), Tihana Juric (194-C-76) and Natalia Terglav-Tratsiak (195-C-80) contributed with 11 pts each. The second game of the big final is scheduled for Wednesday.

Traditionally every year we announced our own nominations for the season-end awards in Cyprus. here are this season results:AEL collected definitely the best players in the league. But that would be unfair to awards just AEL players. We tried to keep that selection as balanced as possible.Stavria Koniali (170-G-93) is the Newcomer of the Year. Although she did not play too much she is definitely the best talent in Cyprus at the moment, and she is 16 years old.Coach of the Year goes this year to Nemanja Bjedov of Achilleas. If we take into consideration only the results obviously AEL topped everyone else and then we could pick their coach as the best coach of the year, Linos Gavril.However, important to notice that he had in fact 10 international players and it was not really that hard to achieve what they did.It was not really too much a matter of coaching and if you ask me coaching is not only the final result it is more than that especially under the difficult conditions we all had.Keravnos reached the playoff finals, but thats where they were last year so they did not really improve too much. They defeated in the semis Achilleas 3-1 by just 6, 4 and 2 points.That was actually Achilleas, which improved this season the most comparing to last year.The All-Newcomers category was a bit tricky as I listed the youngest girls for who played their first senior games this season.

Amager continued their impressive run that was initiated in the semis. Yesterday one of the biggest surprises of the playoffs came up with another one after they dealt with Aabyhoj on the road. Aabyhoj was granted the status of favorites before the clash after they eliminated the last seasons champions Horsholm in the semis. However Amager that lost to Horsholm in the last years championship series decided to miss no chance this time. Amager wasted little time storming into the game. They limited the hosts to just 10 points in the starting frame and accumulated a 19:9 lead after ten minutes of action. Aabyhoj raised the tempo in the second stanza but Amager were ready to match the effort. The visitors unleashed 21 points in the second quarter to enjoy a 13-point lead at halftime. Aabyhoj finally came back to life in the third stanza. They trimmed the margin to 4 points heading into the final period but could not capitalize. The teams played slow and nervous throughout the fourth term and Amager managed to secure the winning margin. Emilie Ramberg (173-G-79) provided 20 points to lead Amager. Sussie Kruuse (192-C-83) had 19 points and 14 boards for the winners. Ida Krogh (181-G/F-91) fired game-high 21 points for Aabyhoj. The second game of the series is scheduled for Wednesday.

The Meistriliiga season came to an end with the third game of the Final series between BC Star and Tallinna Living. The teams were dominant throughout the tournament and became the obvious opponents in the championship best-of-five series. BC Star took a comfortable 2-0 lead after the starting games and looked to wrap up the series at home court. Davineia Payne (175-G-83, college: La Salle) that shone bright for BC Star in the season stepped up for her team once again. She was productive tallying 32 points, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals to pivot BC Star to a decisive victory. The hosts entered the game aggressively and enjoyed a 24:21 lead after ten minutes of action. Tallinna Living had their backs against the wall and had nothing but to fight for every ball. The visitors won the second term and surged ahead 42:41 at the interval. But the complexion of the game changed after the major break as BC Star stiffened their defense and limited Tallinna Living offensive presence. The visiting side managed just 24 points in the second half allowing BC Star to cruise to the overall success. Ashley Wallace (183-C-85, college: Pace) nailed 11 points for BC Star. Jana Jana Rannaveski (172-G-87) added 12 points, 5 boards and 4 assists for the winners. Katrin Olmari (184-F-75) responded with 13 points and 8 boards for Tallinna Living. Anastassia Ptitsona (170-G-91) had 12 points and 4 assists in the loss. Tartu won the Bronze medals after defeating Audentes 72:66. Annika Ruutli (165-G-85) fired 30 points, while Liisi Sokman (168-G-88) and Laina Mesila (182-G/F-87) added 14 points apiece to pace Tartu.

New coach for Espoo - by Esko SaarinenMikko Larkas,28, is a new head coach of Espoo Basketball Team, which won the Finnish champion this year. Larkas is also in the coaching group of 18 years boys' national team. He has worked two years in the help to Ilpo Rantanen, who was the head coach of Espoo last season. Espoo will concentrate with Larkas to develop the players and this development means the coach should stay in Espoo. Rantanen lives in Tampere. AS Espoo team's fysical coach will continue Jere Linja-aho, and later the club will named the coaching help to Larkas. Last season was for Espoo big success as the team won in december Finnish Cup and in March Finnish cahmpion in front of one thousand spectators.

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FYR MACEDONIA - Women

Macedonian U-18 Center Signs With NCAA Division I Radford - by Eurobasket Ema Reskoska (6'2''-C-90), who is a member of the Macedonian U-18 National Team has signed a National Letter of Intent to accept a basketball scholarship to Radford University. Radford is an NCAA Division I college that plays in the Big South Conference. Reskoska came to the United States for her senior season. She played at Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, NC as part of Coach John Jordan's Matthew 28 Project, a program designed to help players from war torn or impoverished nations earn an American education. Jordan said Reskoska was recommended to him last June by Macedonian basketball guru, Goran Gramatikov when Jordan visited Skopje. Reskoska averaged 8.7 ppg and 6.4 rbpg in helping lead Veritas to a second place finish in the NACA Division II National High School Championship Tournament held in Dayton Tennessee in March. Reskoska was named to the National All-Tournament Team. Jordan had these comments about Reskoska. 'She is a long 6'4' post with a quick first step to the basket, she also has good shooting range out to 18'. A strong rebounder who is physical and willing to mix it up in the post. Reskoska had interest from several schools including; Indiana, Western Kentucky, American, Kentucky and NC State. We felt Radford was a good pick for Ema because they featured an international head coach who had been a post player herself. '

Veritas has had a long history of producing NCAA Divison I male players including 6'9' Serbian forward, Sasa Borovnjak who signed with Penn State University this season and 7'2' Romanian, Catalin Baciu who just finished his freshman year at Clemson University, Reskoska represents the first female player in the school's history to sign an NCAA Division I scholarship. Jordan who coaches both the boys and girls team insists the school is headed in the same path with the girls' program. 'We have three juniors who all are being recruited Division I right now including Ema's Macedonian national team teammate, 5'9' Aleksandra Pavlovska a point guard. We also have my daughter, 6'1' G/F Jamie Jordan and 6'3' post player, Jess Reece. I am working on bringing at least one more European player to the team for next season. I think you will see our girl's program begin to produce as many college players as our boys team ' Said Jordan

Scource girlshoopscout.com

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GERMANY - Women

Wasserburg forces final fifth game - by Cornelius DammThe reigning five time champion TSV 1880 Wasserburg is back in business tying the Finals for another time. In a 85-79 thriller they beat TV Saarlouis Royals in front of their noisy home crowd of 1000 spectators. With the game on its brink at 79-79 under a minute to go Wasserburg PG Yolanda Paige (13 pts, 6 ass) fed Carlene Hightower (24 pts) in the corner who sank her fourth three pointer of the game to give her team a 82-79 lead. As Saarlouis failed to score of the next possession Suzana Milovanovic (16 pts, 12 reb) decided the game for Wasserburg with a lay up. But the x-factor for Wasserburg in this game probably was Corry Berger. Not seeing much playing time so far in this series she stepped up strong as German National Team Post Katharina Kuhn (7 pts) left the game with an injury midst of third quarter. Berger finished the night with an 7/10 shooting performance to give her team 15 pts. Saarlouis was paced by Celeste Trahan with a nice double double of 17 pts and 17 reb. Romy Bar followed with 16 pts, while Petra Manakova chipped in 14 pts and 8 reb. Stina Barnert and Fantasia Goodwin scored 14 and 12 pts. Saarlouis controlled the boards winning the rebound duel 44 to 31 but shot only 43 percent (31/71) out of the field while Wasserburg sank 52 percent (33/63) of their shots.

So far in this series each team won its home games. The final game will be played Thursday night at 8 p.m. in Saarlouis.

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HUNGARY - Women

MKB Euroleasing Sopron: third in a role! - by Patonay AdamSzeviep Szeged won over Mizo Pecs and went to the final where Sopron was waiting for them and beat them on the first game. Szeged could make the surprise again because they won against Sopron on home court and after they were very close to caught the champion on road, but Dora Horti (195-C-87) (scored 20 points with 14 rebounds) didn't want to lose and lead her team to the important victory. Tonight they meet again and Szeged could play close game again but Bernadett Nemeth (173-G-80) and her Szeviep couldn't make one more surprise and MKB Euroleasing won their third championship title in a role!

Player of the Year:Niamh Dwyer (176-G-82) of Team Montenotte Hotel CorkGuard of the Year:Niamh Dwyer of Team Montenotte Hotel CorkForward of the Year:Kristen O'Neill (186-G/F-83) of UL AughinishCenter of the Year:Jill Martin (185-F/C-85) of DCU Mercy * she usually plays forward position, but took also center position at DCU MercyDomestic Player of the Year:Niamh Dwyer of Team Montenotte Hotel CorkImport Player of the Year:Kristen O'Neill of UL AughinishDefensive Player of the Year:Lindsay Peat (170-G-80) of DCU MercyCoach of the Year:Emmett Geoghegan of Tolka Rovers

Coach Shiki Falach will continue withBnot Hasharon for the 3rd season.The team was ranked 4th on the regular season and lost on the semi-final to Electra Ramat Hasharon.Shiki had many offers but decided to sign with Bnot Hasharon.Coach Shiki knows as fundamental coach had started to build his team for the next season.The goal of the team next season remains as usual - winning the Israeli cup and champion as well.

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ITALY - Women

Italy NT first stage headed to Latvia 2009 - by Carlo GrilliItalian coach Giampiero Ticchi announced the roster or the first NT training stage (May 7th to 16th) headed to Eurobasket 2009 in Latvia. The list below doesnt include the players involved in A1 semifinals (Schio, Venezia, Taranto and Faenza), which will join the Azzurre during the second stage.

A small interview with Chafik AKIKI concerning the final... - by Maarouf Mawloud

By Maarouf MawloudA small interview with Chafik Akiki concerning the final...

This is the 5th consecutive year for Homentmen Antelias being in the final against Antranik Beirut. It was a very hard and nice serie V/s Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut who improved their game lately and is being a great offensive team threat. We had to make different changes and modifications to our defense after each game since we were dealing with a great offense reader ' Emma Eskidjian (-C-71) ' who was every time finding the solution to make her teammates open for the shot... Our team is improving its game day after day, but the main key of our success is our defense.Concerning the final, Antranik Beirut is a very good experienced team who knows dealing with every situation on the court... from our side, we respect our opponent and we're under preparation for the coming serie and I hope that it will be a nice one.

Macedonian U-18 Center Signs With NCAA Division I Radford - by Eurobasket Ema Reskoska (6'2''-C-90), who is a member of the Macedonian U-18 National Team has signed a National Letter of Intent to accept a basketball scholarship to Radford University. Radford is an NCAA Division I college that plays in the Big South Conference. Reskoska came to the United States for her senior season. She played at Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, NC as part of Coach John Jordan's Matthew 28 Project, a program designed to help players from war torn or impoverished nations earn an American education. Jordan said Reskoska was recommended to him last June by Macedonian basketball guru, Goran Gramatikov when Jordan visited Skopje. Reskoska averaged 8.7 ppg and 6.4 rbpg in helping lead Veritas to a second place finish in the NACA Division II National High School Championship Tournament held in Dayton Tennessee in March. Reskoska was named to the National All-Tournament Team. Jordan had these comments about Reskoska. 'She is a long 6'4' post with a quick first step to the basket, she also has good shooting range out to 18'. A strong rebounder who is physical and willing to mix it up in the post. Reskoska had interest from several schools including; Indiana, Western Kentucky, American, Kentucky and NC State. We felt Radford was a good pick for Ema because they featured an international head coach who had been a post player herself. '

Veritas has had a long history of producing NCAA Divison I male players including 6'9' Serbian forward, Sasa Borovnjak who signed with Penn State University this season and 7'2' Romanian, Catalin Baciu who just finished his freshman year at Clemson University, Reskoska represents the first female player in the school's history to sign an NCAA Division I scholarship. Jordan who coaches both the boys and girls team insists the school is headed in the same path with the girls' program. 'We have three juniors who all are being recruited Division I right now including Ema's Macedonian national team teammate, 5'9' Aleksandra Pavlovska a point guard. We also have my daughter, 6'1' G/F Jamie Jordan and 6'3' post player, Jess Reece. I am working on bringing at least one more European player to the team for next season. I think you will see our girl's program begin to produce as many college players as our boys team ' Said Jordan

Scource girlshoopscout.com

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NORWAY - Women

U18 national championship - by Kaare VangenThe finals in the U18 national championship were played in Baerum in the weekend. Ulriken took the first title for women in many years. Stine Hoff Austgulen was MVP.

PLKK Round: 5 (Finals) - by Eurobasket NewsLotos PKO BP - AZS Gorzow 73-58Lotos PKO BP becem the Champion of the country beating AZS Gorzow 73:58 to win the series 4-1. Magdalena Leciejewska (191-C-86) led the winners with 20 points, while Matovic Ivana scored 17 for the title. Anosike Nicky produced 16 points for AZS Gorzow that celebrated the second place in Poland.

Lotos PKO BP Gdynia won Polish Championship 2009 - by Eurobasket The team from Gdynia won 5th game of the final series against KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzw Wielkopolski becoming Polish Champion 2009.This time it was 73-58 for Lotos as they swaped the final series 4-1.It was 10th championship title of the team Gdynia.The Finals MVP went to American Tamika Catchings (186-F-79, college: Tennessee).The last game of Catching was a big question. In the 3rd game of the final series, American player got serious eye injury. She underwent a surgery and her WNBA team Indiana Fever wanted the played to fly to the States for additional medical tests. However the player decided to stay for that probably the most important game of the season.The medical staff of Lotos arranged special protection googles for Tamika, so she could safely play the game.The very beginning of the game belong to Gorzow, who show very aggressive defense play. However thanks to three-pointers, the team from Gdynia ended the first quarter with just two-point loss 15-17. However just at the very beginning of second quarted Lotos PKO BP took the lead and from now on easily controlled the rest of the game.It was extremely important day for Lotos PKO BP as they managed to break three-year strike of Wisla Krakow and bring back the championship title to Gdynia.

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PORTUGAL - Women

Olivais and AD Vagos to fight for crown - by Eurobasket NewsOlivais and AD Vagos entered the Liga Femenina Final after holding off Alges and CAB Madeira respectively. The regular season champions Olivais Coimbra celebrated the victory over Alges in two games. After eking out a tough win in the opening frame Coimbra looked much more comfortable at home court. The teams stayed close just throughout the opening frame before Coimbra went on a decisive run. They outscored their opponents 21:11 in the second stanza and never looked back en route to a 73:64 victory. Ambrosia Anderson (186-F-84, college: BYU) finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds to lead the charge. Aja Parham (183-G/F-84, college: Boston Coll.) added 15 points for the winners. Alges responded with 25 points from Amanda Jackson (175-G-85, college: Miami, OH). AD Vagos had to go a longer distance to reach the championship series. AD Vagos celebrated the win over CAB Madeira in the semifinal opener but failed to seal the deal in the second game of the series. CAB Madeira got 24 points from Fatima Silva (169-G-73) to earn a 66:45 victory. Casey Nash (185-F-82, college: Oregon St.) contributed 18 points and 10 boards to keep the intrigue alive. Fernanda Neves Beling (180-F-82) answered with 22 points and 10 boards for AD Vagos. Nevertheless AD Vagos managed to reach the Final. They pip CAB Madeira 68:64 away from home to win the series 2-1. The teams were tied at 56 after regulation but the visitors surged ahead and claimed a narrow 68:64 in the extra frame. Fernanda Neves Beling scored 28 points to pace AD Vagos. Carla Nascimento (171-G-86) and Clarissa Santos provided 15 points apiece for the winners. Breanne Watson (185-F-85, college: Washington) had 22 points and 14 boards for CAB Madeira in defeat.

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ROMANIA - Women

Targoviste and Sf.Gheorghe reach 2-0 Semifinal lead - by Eurobasket NewsTargoviste and Sf.Gheorghe reached 2-0 Semifinal lead as the teams again beat their opponents. Municipal MCM Targoviste had a road 83:58 victory over CSM Satu Mare to take 2-0 in the series. The winner of the Regular Season started with 24:13 after the opening quarter, however slowed down a bit later in the game.CSM Satu Mare produced 14-14 in the second period and won the third frame 21-18. The game however belonged to the visitors as they created a 27-10 burst to take another Semifinal victory. AnneMarie Parau (174-G-84) led the winners with 17 points, Coker netted 16 and Chrissy Givens (180-G-85, agency: LBM Management, college: Middle Tenn.St.) added 15. Tunde Czukor (181-F-84) responded with 12 points in the losing effort. CSS LMK Sfantu Gheorghe overcame BC Teleorman Alexandria 88:64 in Game 2 to make another step to the Finals. The home side opened the game with 25-12 and never looked behind. A 25-21 in the second period allowed them to go to the lockers with a confident lead. The second half started with 23-14 for the hosts, however BC Teleorman Alexandria could win only the last period, 17-15. Ildiko Vass (178-G-78) top-scored for the winners with 23 points, while Judit Kajdacsi (191-C-79, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) nailed 18. Bianca Vescan (186-C-78) finished the night with 28 points in the losing effort.

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TURKEY - Women

Mersin tied the series over Samsun - by Eurobasket News

Last night Mersin tied the series over Samsun as they beat them 81:78. It was another thriller from both teams that definitely both could deserve a place in the Final. Mersin opened the game with 20:19 after the opening quarter and pushed the tempo later in the half. The hosts increased their lead to 7 more points producing 21-14 in the second frame. Samsun did not panic and came back from the changing rooms with an excellent 24-17 in the third stanza. The most exciting period was the last one and the hosts were managed to take 81:78 victory after 23-21 in it. Mistie Williams (191-C-83, college: Duke) top-scored for the winners with 20 points, while Lindsey Harding (173-G-84, college: Duke) netted 13. Erlana Larkins (185-F-86, agency: 540 Sports, college: N.Carolina) collected 23 points and 18 rebounds for the visiting side. Galatasaray reduced the gap to 1-2 against the Winner of the Regular Season, Fenerbahce after 76:66 in the home game. The win was reached due to the third period when the hosts produced 22-10 to take the initial victory in the Semifinal clash. Young led all the winners with 23 points, while Seimone Augustus (185-G-84, college: LSU) supported her with 22. Nevriye Yilmaz (195-C-80) top-scored for the guests with 18 points.

Tonight Galatasaray faces Fenerbahce in another thriller expected in the country. Samsun will host Mersin in the decisive game on April 29th.